ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
It was a surprise to me—and probably a lot of other people, too—when I learned from my wife's cousin that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited in all of America. Even more than Grand Canyon, Yosemite or Yellowstone. Hard to fathom. One big reason is that there is no fee to enter... Continue Reading →
North of Redmond, rock climbers flock to Smith Rock State Park to scale the spectacular vertical walls of hardened volcanic tuff. We made a brief stop here on the way home, even though I was under the weather with chills and body aches. Probably against better judgment, I decided we should take the brief hike... Continue Reading →
You finish using the toilet, then you flush. One handle. Simple. At least, that's how it works in the States. But, nowadays, with the increasing need to conserve resources, toilets are using less and less water to flush what used to take an enormous amount of water to ferry down to the sewer system. So,... Continue Reading →
There is a story told by one of our bus drivers that a kea removed the rubber seal around a car’s windshield in a mountain parking lot, causing the glass to fall and shatter. The bird had also stripped the rubber from the windshield wipers. When the owner returned, he was understandably furious and began... Continue Reading →
As most people are aware, the kiwi bird, endemic to New Zealand, is in a struggle against extinction. Having evolved without any natural predators, it now faces a threat from deforestation and from humans, cats, possums, dogs, rats and stoats, among others. The stoat’s modus operandi is slitting the carotid arteries of its victims. (When... Continue Reading →
In this land where sheep outnumber humans 4 to 1 (there are about 4 million people) and lamb a very important part of the diet, does beef get short-shrift? I sense that it isn’t a prominent part of the Kiwi diet. But, beef is available and it is of high quality. Grass-fed beef is much... Continue Reading →
I didn’t find a decent cup of brewed coffee the entire time we were in NZ. Considering that there were coffee houses everywhere, surpassing even the density you’d expect in Seattle, you would think that you would find a decent cup of joe somewhere. It turns out that the best way to have good coffee... Continue Reading →
ANZAC Day is observed in New Zealand and Australia to commemorate the troops who lost their lives at Gallipoli during World War I. ANZAC stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps. One story is that the families sent the troops these biscuits (known in the U.S. as cookies) that resisted spoilage because of their lack... Continue Reading →
Water in New Zealand is plentiful. The snow on the mountain ranges that slice through the country northeast-to-southwest ensure a year-round supply. On our travel through the South Island, we saw countless snow-covered mountains. I wondered if it were ever possible to suffer a drought here. Christchurch’s water supply is fed by aquifers under the... Continue Reading →
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