Standing on the edge of the Chukchi Sea in April, looking at a pressure ridge out on the pack ice. The photographer has a shotgun handy in case any polar bears stumble across us.
Amalfi Coast
A great place to have lunch along the coast, if you don't vomit on the bus ride.
Our cottage was the only one on its side of the island. You would need to walk several miles in one direction or about 10 miles the other way along the beach around to the other side of the island to find the next buildings. The shore is ringed by a wide turquoise band of bathwater protected by a reef along the horizon. On a long swim out one day, Geof decided to bring in a conch. We used the islander method of hanging the shell by a hook through the flesh to extract the meat slowly over a whole day. Sauteed in wine and butter, it was something to remember. In the photo, Natalie is playing along the shore. With miles of deserted coastline in both directions, we picked a new spot every day.
This town, Brugge, is as fun as Venice but with a fraction of the crowds, even though it is a popular tourist destination by Belgian standards.
When we lived in Seattle, the Canadian Rockies were one of our favorite stomping grounds. While walking back to the tent after taking some evening photos here, I startled a large porcupine who climbed eight feet up a tree and stared at me curiously.
We arrived by a small ferry late at night and shared the local minivan over stomach-churning tracks through the steamy black night with reggae music blasting. After being dumped at a small gate in the middle of nowhere, we followed the trail up to the inn, where not a single light was on. It seemed totally deserted. Geof began searching the area for signs of life and suddenly dogs were barking everywhere and a nearly naked man appeared raising a flashlight in one hand and a machete in the other. After sorting out that there no attack was necessary, and being sniffed and licked by his wife's nine puppies, we settled in a bungalow on a hill overlooking the sea. We could see 17 other islands from our hillside perch. Each day's activity was to take a boat out to an island and claim it for a day, snorkeling, sunbathing, and exploring. We saw no other tourists our entire stay. Each morning, the chef would stroll down and ask what we wanted for dinner. If we asked for seafood, he would say that he would drive to the north side of the island to see what Rasta Joe had caught and maybe do a nice curry, and by the way he had good mangoes tonight if we wanted a mousse or cobbler. This photo is of a perfect islet we explored a mile offshore from our cabin. Half was sandy with turquoise waters and perfect snorkeling (Geof saw his first manta ray). The other half was rocky, jungle, and one corner hid tens of thousands of huge conch shells there for the taking.
Chile
Skiing in summer with two of my friends from Barrow. It should have been easy. Craig says "Oh, I haven't skied in 20 years. I probably can't even get down the mountain without hurting myself." I think to myself: "Hah! This should be easy. I should remember to be polite when I need to wait for the old geezers." Never trust a man from the wilds of Alaska when he talks about skiing (or about any other outdoor activity for that matter). Despite the fact Barrow is surrounded by vast stretches of totally flat tundra and sea ice, Craig skied like an Olympian. Keeping up with him would have been insanity. Kindly, he slowed down to give me lessons.
What a great trip. Mysterious spicy food in steamy alleys. Passengers pushing busses while argumentative drivers bark orders and look for parts. Mud huts and cell phones. There's just too many stories to tell. This photo is from a week or so we spent exploring the remote areas around Yangshou. A bit earlier, Jennifer had taken a 4-foot header on her bike off a rice paddy dike, but she's back in the saddle here. Nearby villagers loved to play with the telephoto lens and couldn't resist touching to see what Jennifer's hair and skin felt like.
Costa Rica
Beaches, Monkeys, Volcanos, Sloths, Jungles, Bugs, Snorkeling, Butterflies, Waterfalls, Bats. And some very sore butts.
Culebra
After driving to the top of the island, we hiked down a muggy path to this beach. Skiers dream of "first tracks" on the slopes, but we also dream of "first tracks" on the beach. Our dreams were fulfilled here. Plus, Geof had the best, wildest boogie board ride of his life (behind this photo were the waves). Alfter halfway drowning to get out past the break, I chose a messy, crazy path where three large waves collide from different directions and a strong diagonal rip rushed out. I hit the first wave just right and took a wild, twisting, buffeting ride, jumping from one wave to the next, and finally riding all the way into shore. I went out for an encore, but after that I was too exhausted to make it out again.
Denmark
For whale conservation meetings pertaining to aboriginal hunting of whales off West Greenland, we work in the central room of the palace.
Easter Island
And people say I have a big head!
Colmar makes a beautiful base for meandering through the villages and vinyards of Alsace, including Hunawihr here.
Santorini, a crescent isle with a volcanic cone in the central bay. Riding a mule to the top of the steep inner cliff to the whitewashed town is a sensible alternative to the crazed van drivers. Other clifftop villages and the shallow, black-sand beaches on the back side offer more peace and quiet. Don't drink the retsina.
Take the bus north from town. Jump out at the hilltop with the notable painting on the wall. Walk down the driveway nearby, past the house where the dogs nip at your heels and the people advise you to keep left. Down the ridgeline. One false step and you're over the edge, but the sea and reef below make the fall seem almost inviting. Teetering ladders help with the final climb down to a tiny secret beach where the snorkeling is unbelievable. One side of the bay is dominated by a gigantic mound of elkhorn coral. The other side is a maze of outcroppings, small caves, and warm pools filled with all kinds of sparkling fish. The schools of iridescent cuttlefish are especially hypnotizing.
Our favorite trip to Hawaii is the time we were married. Jennifer was still dripping from her morning of boogie-boarding at `Pounders' when she rushed back to jump into her wedding dress.
Jennifer made this trip to India with one of her traveling buddies.
Nothing beats a cold Irish graveyard for freezing your butt off.
Great food, classic sights, friendly fun-loving people. Go now while the currency rates are better than the 108Y/$ I paid. (I skipped the $35 cantaloupe.) Was the girlfriend of the guy who picked me up hitchhiking joking when she boasted he was in the Japanese mafia?
I suspect that not all marriages can survive a driving circuit around Kyushu with one spouse driving on the wrong side of the road and the other spouse navigating with a map entirely in Japanese.
Madeira
A wonderful surprise with California weather and a European feel. Jennifer, isn't it time to re-tile the bathroom?
We never seem to take a camera on Mexico trips. When we go to the Yucatan, we'll be sure to bring back photos.
The minibus that gave me a ride out to the edge of the Saharan dunes had the door open, but it felt like a hot blast from a hairdryer in my face as we crept across the baked, rocky flats. There were only mud buildings in the village where I stopped, and sleeping on somebody's roof was the coolest option. The locals couldn't understand why I would want to go climb the dunes, and after an hour or two I wasn't so sure myself.
It took me a few minutes to figure out why a surprising number of women were offering to sleep with me when I was standing on a certain bridge in Amsterdam. Strolling the flower shops and visiting Anne Frank's house were more familiar ground.
Jennifer and her brother tracing their roots; she had just graduated from high school.
This is a fortress riddled with secret passages, trap doors, and hidden rooms. The main diplomacy room has a false floor, beneath which hid a dozen crack assassins waiting to leap up through concealed panels when beckoned because conventional diplomacy was failing. Most of Oman's interior was moonscape, but the snorkeling along the coast was simply fabulous.
During the springtime, only a couple cars an hour (great biking, lousy hitchhiking). And only me on the beaches. The innkeeper knew only the Gaelic word for the strange shells I found. I've never seen their like.
Puerto Rico
Neil guards against pirates.
Tiny island with no cars. We saw only a handful of other tourists during our stay. This beach is one of our all-time favorites for snorkeling. The coral is extensive and varied, with all sorts of interesting micro-ecosystems in different parts of the bay. Good fish, too, and some gigantic barracuda. On another side of the island, the coastal shelf drops off suddenly 7000 feet straight down, only a half mile from shore. On the last day, we swam out to this area, called "The Wall". It was eerie drifting over 20 feet of water with coral below, then suddenly everything vanishes and we were floating over an infinite blue void. To top it off, we were greeted at The Wall by a group of dolphins passing by.
Another trip to Scotland and the Scottish isles. Can't seem to get enough of that haggas.
Two weeks of snorkeling. Neil learned to play steel drums and chased toads. Natalie learned to boogie board..
We stayed in a tiny fishing village on the remote north shore. Chickens woke us at 4, and villagers would drop by our apartment to offer us fruits and pastries for breakfast. Then we hiked to Pirate's Bay (photo) or other isolated beaches for fantastic snorkeling through forests of feathery, fan, branching, or brain coral with schools of fish so dense it seems as if you could stand on them. Delicious local cuisine for dinner at sunset on the roof of the town restaurant while the waitress offered hints about other nearby beaches to explore.
Snorkeling here, I spotted a small turtle in a fisherman's net. With a long struggle, I managed to free him without getting bitten. Since it was a long ways out and the entanglement had used up most of my energy, I turned back to shore regretting that I wouldn't see much else during this swim. I guess the turtle gods rewarded me, however, because as soon as I turned around a huge turtle nearly as long as I am swam gracefully underneath me.
Turks and Caicos
Another great Caribbean vacation, this one shared with friends Hannah and Steve (not pictured!). Providenciales has a remarkable mixture of upscale tourist spots and remote, untouched beaches.
We try to make it out here at least once a year. Geof grew up exploring this part of the coast. We stay one beach north, but this strand, accessible only by raft, is great for walking, beachcombing, and just horsing around. At the far end is a complex network of caves and tunnels, carved by the sea, which can only be explored for a few moments during the lowest tides in years when sea and sand conditions are favorable. In the dim light under these headlands, the tunnels reveal hordes of starfish, anemones, crabs, shells, and agates.
One of our favorite Caribbean trips ever. Some of the most beautiful flat, powdery beaches and cerulean water anywhere. Then, on another corner of the island, one of the top snorkeling spots we have ever found. Then an experience we will never forget: night kayaking and swimming in the world's brightest bioluminescent bay. It was like swimming in glowing, sparkling champagne. What an island! In this photo, Neil's doing a little salad bowl snorkeling.
The caves and tunnels provide an exciting brand of snorkeling, even though the fish are better elsewhere. There are some clefts between rocks where all you can do is cross your fingers while the waves plummet you through long narrow passages lined with coral and urchins. Only for skinny people. Plenty of less hair-raising fun elsewhere among the rocks and coral outcroppings. Most of these areas have been ruined by hordes of cruise ship passengers; I won't reveal any remaining secrets.