Capturing the Moment

 There is just something about lighthouses that I find so photogenic. This tiny lighthouse sits on the western edge of San Juan Island in Lime Kiln State Park and is a favorite of whale watchers and sunset gazers. The island of Vancouver can be seen across the straits and the rugged mountains of the Olympic peninsula can be seen on a clear day as well. The setting sun on my last visit to the lighthouse this season was so pretty that I just had to jump for joy and immortalize it in a picture. Here is to a great 2017 Pacific Northwest fall season on the Safari Quest.

Pemaquid Ligthhouse Complex Leading Lines in the Rocks    I've always heard of the beauty of Maine's coastline and the majestic lighthouses that dot it. It was a goal of mine on this road trip to Maine to find some of the most beautiful of these ligthhouses. After asking around it seemed that everyone was pointing me in the same direction, towards the tip of the Pemaquid peninsula. As soon as I saw the coastline here I knew I had come to the right place. Heidi on the Cliff Reflections     Standing guard over the Pemaquid Neck is a lighthouse complex that dates back to 1827 when it was commissioned by John Quincy Adams. The lighthouse is locally famous, and is featured on the Maine State Quarter. But it is the geology of the cliffs below the lighthouse which really separates it from the pack. The rocky cliffs formed deep underground before being uplifted to the surface showing off some incredible metamorphism. Under intense pressure the rocks we...

  To do all the best adventures in Ushuaia you will need a little time, 3-5 full days, and some good hiking shoes. Rental cars are pretty expensive down here but luckily cabs are easy to use to get around. Hotels and hostels are a bit on the expensive side as well but you can find a bed for $25 a night if you don't mind sharing. hostels can be a great place to find other adventure seekers with whom to share cabs as well.   The big adventures that are accessible from the town of Ushuaia are boat cruising on the Beagle Canal, hiking to Martial Glacier, exploring Tierra del Fuego National Park, and Lagunas de los Tempanos. Here are my thoughts on each.   Beagle Canal Cruise: You have three choices here for cruising; a short cruise that goes to the 'end of the world' lighthouse, sea lion and cormorant rock, and a short walk on an island, or a medium length cruise that does all of that plus visits the penguin colony rock, or the long cruise which actually lets you get...

Lighthouses and Sulphur Springs on The Wild Coast of South Africa Lighthouse Keeper and me From East London to Durban Highway 2 winds its way through rolling green hills dotted with colorful houses as it travels a thousand kilometers through the lesser traveled parts of South Africa. Towns like Port St John dot the rugged coastline here which has been nicknamed the ‘Wild Coast.’ This is where the famous Sardine run happens in June and July. Exploring around Port St Johns I made my way up to an old lighthouse overlooking the coast and was told by the lighthouse keeper that when the sardine run happens he can see it all from his window; huge schools of sardines, dolphins, whales, birds, and even sharks. But in all the other months of the year the Wild Coast is more famous for its network of hiking trails.  Wild Coast of South Africa The transkei hike follows the coastline and connects the small port towns. It is a very popular hike with backpackers and comes com...

Standing on the edge of a continent Standing on the edge of the African Continent Looking South   Today marked the day that Heidi and I stood on the far southwestern point of the African Continent. This point of land that juts out below Cape Town was known as the “Cape of Storms” for centuries before being given the much more endearing “Cape of Good Hope” title that we know it by today. This land marks the point where ships are finally able to start heading more north than south when trying to sail around the bottom of the African continent. The wild weather and storms still come frequently which wary sailors know to keep an eye on, but not on this day.  Ostrich by the sea Cape Point National Park    We had beautiful weather with a touch less wind than normal for this spot. The end of the peninsula here is a national park, so our WILD card got us in for free. A lighthouse stands at the western tip while a marker denoting the farthest point of...