Travel, Read, Conserve

Being from the Pacific Northwest , we are not new to whale-watching. We have done trips around the San Juan islands to see pods of Orca whales at a reasonable distance, even seen a gray whale resting on a shore on the Central Oregon coast. So we went in with a certain level of excitement to see the migratory humpback whales all the way down at Baja California but not with the expectation to be blown away. Boy, were we wrong about that! First things first - our captain and the two ladies-  marine biologist Barbara and photographer/guide Tania were absolutely awesome. They kept us safe, all the while regaling us with whale anecdotes and facts about the region and its geographical features. The close up views of the famous El Arco , Lovers beach and Land’s End with the colony of sea lions resting on the rocks were an added bonus.  The boat ride on the the beautiful turquoise Sea of Cortez was more or less smooth but as soon as we got onto Pacific waters, it w...

In response to Trump’s proclamations to reduce the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments by 2 million acres on 12/4/17.  Throughout my childhood, my parents wouldn't take me on "normal" family vacations. As my friends were going to New York, LA, and Vegas, we'd go to Arches, Denali, and Yellowstone. Growing up in Seattle, I've been fortunate enough to be surrounded by nature, from the Olympics and coast to the West, and the Cascades and Palouse to the East. Nature was all around me, so I never understood why my parents continued to take me on trips where we'd just go to more natural attractions. At the time, I couldn't have been more furious at my parents mostly because they were "robbing me" of the glitz and glamor that most cities tend to provide. Most importantly, it felt like it was harder for me to connect with many of my friends after a school break. I found it very difficult to describe the unique panora...