Capturing the Moment

 Yellowstone National Park contains a caldera of a supervolcano that measures 35 X 45 miles. All kinds of geothermal activity can be seen here from steam vents, to hot springs, to geysers. It is caused by the movement of the North American Plate slowly sliding over a hot spot...very similar to Hawaii. Driving around Yellowstone and seeing the wildlife mix with the volcanic activity, it is no wonder that it was destined to become our first national park in 1872.   The extreme temperature of water in the geysers and hot springs create a unique environment for colorful extremophiles, bacteria that survive and live in the scalding water. The bacteria can be quite colorful, making the springs very picturesque.Some pools were bright orange while other were a greenish blue, while some had just about every color you could imagine in a bright rainbow array of colors.  Most of my best photos came from an area around the Grand Prismatic Spring. It is the largest hot spring in the

Map of Yellowstone   Yellowstone Wildlife Safari   I've been lucky enough to spend a lot of time in Africa, leading safaris from Kenya down to Cape Town. One of the big draws of traveling all the way to Africa is to see and experience a place where big animals still roam, and the predators still rule.    So imagine my surprise when I found out that you could have a similar experience right here in my backyard, a place called Yellowstone National Park. After leading adventures in British Columbia this spring I flew into Jackson Hole, Wyoming to meet up with my dad and Cheryl to go on an American wildlife safari and this is what we saw.... in one day.    To get to Yellowstone from Jackson you drive north through Grand Teton National Park and after an hour and a half you enter the south entrance of Yellowstone. Before we got to the entrance we had already come across a major traffic jam cause by a grizzly bear near the road. We got out and walked over to the crowd a

  Tucked in between the Teton Range and Yellowstone National Park, the town of Jackson Hole provides some of the most amazing backdrops. Landing in Jackson Hole airport has got to be one of the most picturesque place to fly into.    I was still soaking in the beauty of the Tetons meeting the plains when I rolled up to a sprawling log cabin that I thought may be a museum with all the bronze statues in the yard. Then I realized that this is the house I'm staying at for the next few days. We were in the middle of the Elk Refuge, although they all move out after the winter. A few of the bronze statues depicted what it must be like in the winter, although I have to admit I will take the nice spring weather and look for the elk elsewhere.   One of the statues depicted a cowboy on a bucking horse which I learned is one of the main symbols of Jackson Hole. The real elk also left a clue of their passing, having broken off one of the antlers from a bronze elk statue. I can't w

  These last three weeks I have been sailing through the Salish Sea which is the vast inland sea comprising Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Strait of Georgia. We have had some of the most incredible spring weather I've seen in years. Sunsets like this have been gracing us just about every night and there is no better way to enjoy them than to be sailing off into them. More updates on these adventures will come, but the excitement for Alaska season is drawing near.

  Springtime is a wonderful time to cruise the Pacific Northwest. It is the calm before the summer boating storm which brings all the pleasure cruisers out from the Seattle hibernation. It is times in the Spring like this where we have secret coves and bays all to ourselves for kayaking, bonfires, hiking, and skiffing.  A male orca named Chainsaw, T63 Wildflowers are in full bloom, unusual birds are migrating north on their way to different parts of Alaska, and sightings of transient killer whales and grey whales are possible. It is one of the best kept secrets of this area, and now you are in the know. See you out here. Parliament Building, Victoria BC Exiting Malibu Narrows, BC www.daimartamarack.com