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Homemade Elemental Diet Ingredients - coconut oil, amino acids, sea salt, and dextrose powder

SIBO Treatments – Two Years and Counting

Posted on March 22, 2017November 17, 2018 by Christina

I have been working on getting rid of SIBO for nearly two years now, and I’ve progressed and regressed many times. The whole thing is quite frustrating, and it can be difficult to maintain a positive outlook and have hope that I will be healthy again one day. I have attempted many treatments and spent…

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The results (table and graph of hydrogen and methane concentrations) of my first lactulose breath test for SIBO

SIBO – The Diagnosis

Posted on March 22, 2017June 12, 2019 by 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…

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Three sandhill cranes up-close flying at Cibola

Sandhill Cranes at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge

Posted on March 16, 2017March 16, 2017 by Christina

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…

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Bighorn ewe standing on top of a cliff peering down at us

Bighorn Sheep at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge

Posted on March 6, 2017March 6, 2017 by Christina

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….

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Our truck, trailer, and camping chairs in our campsite at Hole-in-the-Wall Campground

Boondocking Test in the Mojave Desert

Posted on February 22, 2017February 22, 2017 by Christina

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…

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Four greater white-fronted geese in the air at the Sacramento NWR

Flying South for the Winter

Posted on February 18, 2017February 18, 2017 by Christina

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…

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Sea stacks and rocky coastline seen from Cape Flattery

Olympic National Park – Weathering a Storm and Cape Flattery

Posted on February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 by Christina

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…

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Single Roosevelt elk standing like a statue near the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center

Roosevelt Elk in the Hoh Rain Forest

Posted on February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 by Christina

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…

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A cluster of white funnel-shaped mushrooms growing out from the side of a log in the Hoh

Olympic National Park – The Hoh Rainforest

Posted on February 14, 2017June 1, 2019 by Christina

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…

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Olympic National Park – Ozette Lake and Cape Alava Trail

Posted on February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 by Christina

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…

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Michael and Christina in front of Heart of Rocks in Chiricahua NM.

Welcome! We are Michael and Christina, husband and wife based in Ventura, California. We are curious observers of the natural world. Our blog is a place to share what we learn. Grab a beverage and enjoy a story or two. Thank you for stopping by!

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