I love flying into San Francisco. Today was one of the best as it was partly cloudy and you could clearly see the azure green waters of the bay stretching for miles. Mt. Tamalpais loomed north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The familiar skyline of downtown San Francisco was a welcome sight. It was a perfect spring day.

After grabbing my luggage I walked to the tram to catch a ride to the rental car facility. Once outside, I immediately noticed the crisp, cool ocean breeze off the Pacific sweeping briskly through the airport. I caught a strong scent of cedar, fir and redwood. The smell was intoxicating and I immediately felt a wave of exhilaration. I was back on the west coast!

It’s amazing to me how a place can really get under you skin. I’ve always felt that about northern California.

More about my adventures as the week progresses.

Michael

Secret Courtyard

Ahhhh!! I’m in New Orleans for a 3 day photography workshop. My hotel, the Royal Sonesta, is located right on Bourbon Street in the heart of the French Quarter. Let me tell you. This place is crazy. It’s full of people day and night. Everyone is working hard on having a good time; lots of partying going on due to the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day.

I really love the French Quarter and New Orleans has a special feel like many European cities. You can easily walk anywhere. No driving required. There is something interesting around every corner. The food is world class. Cajun and Creole styles are supreme. But, every other type of food can easily be found.

Bromeliad Flower

You never know what is behind a door or entrance way. The streets are narrow and many times when you walk into someone’s home or a café, it turns into a beautiful courtyard full of plants and flowers. It gives the experience a sense of magic because it feels like you were transported somewhere else.

What adds to this trip is that fact that New Orleans seems to be getting back its vitality. I’ve met some really nice people and everyone seems to be in a good mood. The service at the hotel is spectacular.

The people here have had some tough times but you wouldn’t know it today. It’s good to see.

Have a great day!

Michael

Snow Eating Ducks

Several inches of snow fell yesterday and last night. I was in the mood for taking photographs. In fact, today was the first set of photos for the 2009 year. The landscape was beautiful with the recent snowfall.

I decided to drive out to Roger Williams Park and Zoo near Providence, RI. Wow, it was quite lovely. All the lakes were frozen and a lot of snow had fallen over the frozen surfaces.

I rode around checking everything out and taking numerous photos. You can see some of them here. The most interesting moment came after I had taken some photos in the Japanese Garden.

I walked down the road a bit and saw dozens of ducks, many seagulls and one goose. But, strangely, the ducks were munching on the snow. By munching, I mean frantically eating the snow as fast as they could get it down. I had never seen anything like this before, though, I’m sure this is normal behavior for them. I guess that is how they drink when the lakes and streams are covered with ice.

Regardless, it was fascinating to watch. They allowed me to get quite close as long as I moved very slowly. Any sudden movements sent them flying. The photo link above shows a larger wide angle view of the ducks you see to the left.

I’m so glad I decided to venture outside today. I would have missed this wonderful natural phenomenon.

Have a great day!

Michael

So, I arrive at the airport, drop off my rental car and take the shuttle to the terminal. I walk up to the ticket agent who proceeds to start processing my boarding pass. “Hmmmm, I can’t find your flight” he says. I gave him my itinerary. He looked at it and said, “Your flight is not until tomorrow.”

“Whattttttt!!!!”, I exclaimed.

Sure enough, my flight was for Monday. So, you must be thinking that my head cold is affecting more than my sinuses. But, when I called the airline on Friday to change my ticket, the agent clearly stated to me that there were almost no available flights for Monday, but she could easily get me on a flight for Sunday. I was disappointed and asked her to look again for a Monday departure. She scanned and found only a handful of seats left. They were all over $800. I told her to just book the Sunday flight.

Obviously, I was quite surprised this morning and had to call my parents to come pick me up from the airport so I wouldn’t have to rent a car for another day. I called Erica and she told me that when she was getting her boarding pass yesterday, the exact same scenario I have described here had happened to a gentlemen standing in line. He also had been told he couldn’t get a flight on a certain day and then they booked him on that day anyway but told him it was for the day before. He argued with the ticket agent for 20 minutes about this. So, I felt a little better after hearing that.

It was clear to me that I needed some more rest before flying. That’s what I did. I read, napped, read, ate, drank liquids and rested in a prone position as much as possible. I’m feeling better tonight and I think I’ll be better able to fly tomorrow.

Michael

Snow Buddha

When snow falls, nature listens. – Antoinette van Kleeff

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found? – J.B. Priestley

We had a good sized winter storm yesterday and it continued with snow showers and flurries for most of today. When we awoke this morning, the world had been transformed by the white powdery substance.

It was stunning to go outside and see how much snow had piled up. I especially like to find where the snow has concentrated. Sometimes it can be in the most unusual places and in many different ways. I love the snow that builds up in the crooks of trees where stems meet trunk. Something about that is quite beautiful to me.

We worked hard this morning to dig out 4 cars, part of a sidewalk and driveway. Strange as it may seem, I actually like it. It’s hard work but it’s an excuse to be out in the snow.

The most amazing site for me was the Buddha head in Erica’s backyard. I started watching it last night when the snow was falling very fast. This morning it was quite stunning.

I love the snow.

Check out 12 more photos from this morning.

Michael

The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams. – Oprah Winfrey

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure. – Joseph Campbell

Quartz Veins in Ft. Wetherill State Park

I had decided today would be a day of hiking, geocaching and adventure. I left mid morning and headed to Conanicut Island where Jamestown, RI is located. There were many areas in the south central part of the island I hadn’t explored.

Fort Wetherill State Park was my first destination. I explored the many trails in this park. I found some strange geological formations in the form of very long quartz veins running through the rock on the coast. I discovered that this entire area was once part of Africa over 500 million years ago. The fort has history all the way back to the American Revolution. The views across Narragansett Bay were stunning.

After a short break for a snack and water, I drove north a few miles and discovered an historical cemetery. I then proceeded south again to Fort Getty State Park. I discovered huge coastal estuaries harboring many species of birds and animals. I walked the rocky coasts exploring the nooks and crannies.

Finally, I drove around almost aimlessly and found new beaches, new bird sanctuaries, harbors and more interesting history.

The point is that adventure is a close as you want it to be. I experienced all of this in a day and it was only 20 miles from my house. You don’t have to fly or drive long distances. All you have to do is get out of the house and ask yourself, “What’s around the next turn?”

Change your routine. Go have some fun.

Michael

My Guide

I have debated with myself about telling the following story. Part of me won the debate, so here goes.

On day three of my Mexico trip (October 23rd, 2008) I, along with several others in our travel group, decided to take a two hour horseback ride to the valley’s edge outside of Cerocahui. We wanted to see the waterfalls and pools among the rocks. It sounded like fun so I signed up.

I made it a point to tell the head of the tour that I was not an experienced rider, so please give me a gentle horse that obeyed. A few minutes later, a young boy walked up with a grayish horse (see the photo on the left). He was going to be my guide. So, he helped me up into the saddle which turned out to be made of wood with a very thin blanket thrown over. Translation: I had to be careful how I sat (if you catch what I’m saying) so I wouldn’t damage myself.

The next thing I know was that our party of horses started walking down the road to the outskirts of town. Guess what? I was not in control of my horse. My “guide” was leading the horse I was on. He was obviously walking and I was sitting on the horse. He walked me and my horse all the way to the waterfall and all the way back.

As we walked through the small village, everyone saw us and most of the kids laughed and snickered when seeing me being “guided.” It was quite embarrassing. Next time, I should verify that my translation was understood the way I meant it.

The trip was still fun even though I didn’t have control of my horse.

Michael

Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. – Seneca

Continued from yesterday.

My trip to the Copper Canyon in Mexico was one of my top 5 trips ever. The countryside was extraordinary. The people were wonderful. The food was great. And our tour guide, David Rico Olalde, was fantastic. Most of the tour group was a group of Americans living in Miguel de Allende and the rest came from various parts of the United States.

Day 5 – We really started to explore the amazing landscape that is the Copper Canyon. We left Cerocahui to take the second half of our train ride through the Canyon to the city of Creel. Most travel journals state that this particular ride is the most spectacular in North America. I have to wholeheartedly agree. I stayed on the observation deck almost the entire time. There were just too many sights to see. I didn’t want to miss a thing.

Read my original post for Day 5.

View my photos. (21 photos)

Day 6 – A whirlwind tour, nonstop until dark; Mirador del Rio Oteros, The Balancing Rock, the Divisadero Barrancas, Elephant Rock, Turtle Rock, Arareco Lake, Cusarare Falls, Cusarare Mission, Valley of the Frogs, Valley of the Mushrooms and a Tarahumara Cave Home. Phew! Needed a good night sleep after this day.

Read my original post for Day 6.

View my photos. (26 photos)

Day 7 – The road to Batopilas was a hair raising adventure along 43.5 miles (70 km) of curvy paved road, 40.4 miles (65 km) of mostly one lane bumpy dirt road and a drop of over 6000 feet (1829 m) of elevation. Once we made it to Batopilas, a small group of us toured the ruins of Hacienda San Miguel. Very cool.

Read my original post for Day 7.

View my photos. (18 photos)

Day 8 – We started our day by making a very bumpy 3.1 miles (5 km) ride to the Lost Cathedral of Satevo. Wow! It feels like you are in the middle of nowhere but here is this cathedral. We made the long trip back up to Creel with a little stop while they re-built part of the dirt road that was being widened. It was exciting for a while there.

Read my original post for Day 8.

View my photos. (12 photos)

Day 9 – It was with a mixture of emotions as we boarded the bus that would take us to Chihuahua for our fly to Toluca and then home. This trip was well beyond my expectations and I had some very high ones. David Olalde was a wonderful host, guide, organizer, problem solver and therapist . I hope to travel on another of his tours in the future.

Read my original post for Day 9.

This adventure is over, but the memories will last forever.

Michael

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. – St. Augustine

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move. – Robert Louis Stevenson

Within miles of leaving Creel on a bus to Chihuahua, the countryside dramatically changed. It was easy to tell that we had left the canyon country. Don’t get me wrong. There were still beautiful vistas, mountains, strange rocks, pine forests and dryness but the canyon was south of us now.

Our flight out of Chihuahua didn’t leave until 7:00 p.m., so we had a lot of time to get there. As we traveled northeast, the mountains and pine forests faded away to be replaced by wide expanses of grasslands, small shrubs and several varieties of cacti.

Approaching the town of Cuauhtemoc, we began to see miles and miles of heavy agriculture; wheat and fruit orchards mostly plus a lot of cattle ranches. Cuauhtemoc has a large population of Mennonites; around 50,000, who speak a German dialet called “Plattdeutsch.” We only had time to tour the area around the square and eat some lunch so Erica and I didn’t see any Mennonites.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the bus, exchanging contact information and talking about future visits. It took the bus quite some time to get through the city of Chihuahua, population over 700,000, as the airport was on the other side from where we entered the city.

Erica and I flew with the group to Toluca and then hopped on a cab for a fast, over 1 hour, ride to Mexico City International Airport where we would be staying at a hotel for just a few hours until leaving for Dallas, TX. All we saw of Toluca was from the window of a cab at 10:30 p.m.

We awoke after about 5 hours of sleep and headed to Mexico City International Airport. I couldn’t believe the size of Mexico City. As we gained altitude in the plane heading in a slightly northeast direction, Erica said, “Aren’t those pyramids down there?”. I looked out and saw the pyramid complex of Teotihuacan.

Wow!!! What a nice way to end our fabulous trip to Mexico. I have to come back now and tour the ancient sites around Mexico City and the Yucatan.

The rest of the day was long but uneventful. Time for rest.

Michael

The Lost Cathedral of Satevo

It was early morning when we boarded our vehicles to make the 3.1 mile (5 km) bumpy roller coaster ride to The Lost Cathedral of Satevo. The cathedral is in the middle of nowhere. I don’t believe you can continue on the road with cars or trucks past this point.

It’s a large building considering that the congregation for the area was probably not very numerous when it was built. The mystery is who built it and when. Most theories have it built between the early 1600′s to mid 1700′s by either Jesuits or a mixture of Jesuits and then Franciscan monks who apparently drove the Jesuits out of the area. It has been in a continually state of reconstruction for some time.

Our guide said one story of why it was built was due to a Catholic requirement that to ordain priests one must have a cathedral where a bishop is based. Apparently once a cathedral was built then priests could be ordained whether the bishop was there or not. As the monks were spreading across Mexico and into what would become the southwest United States, priests were in need, so this cathedral became the base for the expansion.

It seemed logical to us, but no one really knows the real reason it was built or by who and when.

Waiting for the Road to be Built

After a late morning breakfast, we piled into our vans and began the long 83.9 miles (135 km), trek back to Creel. The canyons were lit beautifully by the sun this morning. We saw many rock faces in a different light; no pun intended. I still couldn’t get used to looking over the road and seeing the river several thousand feet down. It created a constant anxiety; at least for me.

Once we made it to the construction area on the dirt road, things got interesting. As we went around a left hand curve we had to quickly stop. The road was blocked by two huge earth moving vehicles plus the road was gone. So, we had to wait about 15 minutes while the giant caterpillar bulldozer recreated the road so that we could pass. Wow! I’m glad we weren’t traveling this at night.

The rest of the trip back was uneventful but the constant swaying around the curvy roads made us have to hold on to keep from bumping into the person next to us.

Overall it was an excellent adventure!

Tomorrow we head to Chihuahua but only stay a brief moment until we board a plane to Toluca.

View my photos for the day. (12 photos)

Have a great day!

Michael