ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
I tend to take for granted the natural bounty we have here in the Pacific Northwest. I'm not alone either. This could be because the Seattle area is a highly developed, urban area where we have become physically and spiritually disconnected from our natural surroundings, here where mountain and sea are close at hand. Unless... Continue Reading →
One of the biggest surprises about Northwest natural history is that there were many catastrophic floods during recent geological times that dramatically altered the landscape of Washington state. Almost half the state was inundated. This hypothesis was first put forward by geologist J Harlan Bretz in the 1920s. These floods are thought to have swept through the state... Continue Reading →
Situated on Orcas Island, Turtleback Farm Inn is listed in 1000 Places to See Before You Die. Other travel publications have chimed in with equally effusive praise, backed by the reviews of the many visitors who have stayed there. Susan and Bill Fletcher purchased the farm when they were simply looking for a second home,... Continue Reading →
Several years ago, Orcas Island residents opposed plans to develop Turtleback Mountain, once privately owned by Norton Clapp of the Weyerhauser Corporation, and sold to a foundation. They filed a lawsuit in court and won. The mountain is now an island preserve. Additional trails beyond the logging roads have been developed in the park, with... Continue Reading →
Over the past few years, good friends of ours have invited us over to their cabin on the shores of Lake Chelan. Prior to a wedding in 2009 and our friends' invitation two weeks later, we'd never been here. In the summer, it is a very popular playground for water sports, rarely raining here as... Continue Reading →
At 382 meters (1,076ft), it's hard not to miss Sky Tower, the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand. Today, there was a good deal on admission, so we rode the glass elevator to the observation platform, 192m straight up. The view of Auckland was breathtaking from there. The tower reminded us of the Space Needle... Continue Reading →
David Attenborough featured them in his BBC Planet Earth series. Arachnocampa luminosa is found only in New Zealand, more commonly called glowworms. Technically, they are not worms, but rather the larvae of gnats. To snare food, one larva can exude several mucousy threads of silk that suspend from the roof of a cave, sticky enough to trap... Continue Reading →
The Ruakuri Bush Walk, whose trailhead is but a few kilometers beyond the Waitomo Caves attraction, is considered one of the ten best short hikes in New Zealand. In under an hour, you can see verdant forests, limestone outcroppings, caves, gorge, natural bridge, tunnel, and the Waitomo Stream, all in what is called a karst landscape.... Continue Reading →
I was under the mistaken, naive impression that the only geyser attraction in the world was confined to Yellowstone. It turns out that there are many throughout the world. New Zealand has its own, of course, in the so-called Taupo Volcanic Zone, a vast volcanically active area stretching between Mt Ruapehu to the southwest and... Continue Reading →
The full name is Te Whakarewarewatanga O Te Ope Taua A Wahiao, or Whaka for short. A thermal reserve, Whaka is a showcase for geothermal activity—hot springs, mud pools and geysers. The most famous and largest geyser in NZ, Pohutu, which can reach heights of 40m (130ft), can be seen at a distance from an... Continue Reading →
zoomeboshi 