Explore nature, both wild and human, with Michael and Christina
I have SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). SIBO happens when for one reason or another the bacteria (i.e., “normal flora”) that reside in the large intestine move up into the small intestine where they do not belong and overgrow there. These bacteria are the gas producers (e.g., hydrogen and methane), and while the gas they…
From our campsite near Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, we watched hundreds of sandhill cranes fly in to roost in the wetlands every evening as the sun was setting. Their calls tickled our ears and gave us goose bumps. At night we fell asleep to their intermittent calls rising up from the wetlands as well as…
Desert bighorn sheep are elusive animals that live in extremely steep and rocky desert mountains of southwestern North America, and they blend in well with their environment. Populations have declined significantly over the past 100 years, due to competition with wild horses and burros for water and forage and diseases from domestic sheep and cattle….
Back in early November, before flying to Maryland for Thanksgiving, we decided to test out our boondocking skills in the Mojave Desert for a week. Up to this point we had been living in RV parks with amenities like water, sewer, and electricity and sometimes even Wi-Fi and cable TV. However, the whole point of this journey…
Back in mid-October we decided it was time to fly south for the winter, hang out in southern California for a bit, and visit with friends and family while our trailer got some much-needed repairs. Then we would push east along the southern border of the Country during the winter. Somehow, a little more than…
Rough Weather on the West Coast of Washington There were several days during our stay in Forks when we were stuck in the trailer due to stormy weather. The beginning of October brought the first of the season’s fierce storms. There were gale force wind warnings, and since these were the first storms of the…
We were told about the herds of Roosevelt elk in Olympic National Park. The Hoh Rain Forest, and especially the banks and certain sandbars along the Hoh River were supposed to be the ideal places to spot these herds. We were nearing the end of our time in Olympic National Park, and we had walked…
The Hoh is a magical place. We had already seen the temperate rain forest at other locations in Olympic National Park, but the Hoh is extra special. In the Hoh River Valley, more than twelve feet of rain dumps annually, and the old growth Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, western hemlock, and big-leaf maple trees are…
Ozette Lake and the Cape Alava trailhead are about an hour and a half drive north and out to the coast from Forks, our basecamp on the west side of Olympic National Park. A few miles from our destination, on Hoko-Ozette Road, I heard a funny knocking noise, and then I saw the distress on…
Rialto Beach From our home base at Riverview RV Park in Forks, Rialto Beach was a short drive down Mora Road along the Quillayute River. We made the drive on our first afternoon in Forks after setting up camp. We arrived at Rialto Beach, got out of the truck, and were blasted by the wind…