This week we’ve been staying in the Ishihara House, a VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) above the town of Waimea, Kauai, Hawaii. The house is plantation-style, with a 1930’s old-Hawaii vibe and nods to Japan. And it’s less expensive than most hotel rooms on this island. From our lanai we get a fine view of… Continue reading Snapshots: Koke’e State Park
Category: Snapshots
Snapshots: 3 Days in LA Using Mass Transit
Last week we made a short visit to Los Angeles where we cycled, hiked, explored, and saw a show. We got around entirely by public transport. For such a car-centric city, Los Angeles has a fairly decent system of buses and trains. Many points of interest can be reached by public transport. At LAX we… Continue reading Snapshots: 3 Days in LA Using Mass Transit
Snapshots: Superior Hiking Trail 2018
Last week. as we generally do at this time of the year, we day-hiked sections of the Superior Hiking Trail. We stayed in two lodges so we could enjoy different sections of the trail without having to spend much time in the car. Day 1: Long Hike via Lake Agnes The lodge where we were… Continue reading Snapshots: Superior Hiking Trail 2018
Snapshots: Tettegouche State Park
Every year, around this time, we drive from Minneapolis to the North Shore of Lake Superior. It was Sunday, so most people were driving in the opposite direction towards work and school. On the drive north, we paused for a few hours to enjoy the trails of Tettegouche State Park. We then drove on to… Continue reading Snapshots: Tettegouche State Park
Snapshots: 1,000 Miles by Train to Tokyo
September 2018. I had spent the previous week exploring the three national parks in eastern Hokkaido. It was now time to figure out how to chunk a journey to Tokyo over the next 10 days. I had flown to eastern Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. The journey back to Tokyo would be slower. Armed with… Continue reading Snapshots: 1,000 Miles by Train to Tokyo
Snapshots: Eastern Hokkaido National Parks
This past week I’ve briefly visited the three most easterly national parks on the island of Hokkaido, Japan: Kushiro-Shitsugen, Akan Mashu, and Shiretoko. Kushiro-Shitsugen National Park Kushiro-Shitsugen is Japan’s largest wetland, famous for its Japanese red-head cranes. A JR (Japan Rail) line runs along the edge of the wetlands, with several stops. I decided to… Continue reading Snapshots: Eastern Hokkaido National Parks
Snapshots: Hadrian’s Wall Path
My daily routine is pretty simple these days: After a full English cooked breakfast, continue walking east across England, following the line of Hadrian’s (Roman) Wall. If available, stop at a tearoom for a pot of tea and cake. At the end of the afternoon arrive at a comfortable bed and breakfast or inn for… Continue reading Snapshots: Hadrian’s Wall Path
Snapshots: Hiking the Rota Vicentina, Southwest Portugal
The Rota Vicentina is a 450 km trail system in southwest Portugal. It includes the Fishermen’s Trail along the rugged Atlantic coastline, the Historical Way that heads inland through rolling countryside, and loop trails that connect both worlds. The system is good for point-to-point hiking where we moved to a different place each day, and hub-and-spoke… Continue reading Snapshots: Hiking the Rota Vicentina, Southwest Portugal
Snapshots: Whanganui National Park
Today, a jet boat brought us back to a world with Internet and roads. Three days earlier I maneuvered our rental car along a narrow, winding road, avoiding recent rockfalls. At Pipiriki, New Zealand, a jet boat came to take us up the Whanganui River, through a vertiginous gorge, to the Bridge to Nowhere Lodge. Thursday… Continue reading Snapshots: Whanganui National Park
Snapshots: Egmont National Park
New Zealand’s North Island has three national parks: Egmont, Whanganui, and Tongariro. On this trip we selected Egmont and Whanganui, two of New Zealand’s less-visited parks. We’ve spent two days hiking Egmont’s lovely trails, with two more days to go. Saturday January 6 9:50a Wellington Central Railway Station, Platform 9 (Bus) 12:10p Palmerston North City… Continue reading Snapshots: Egmont National Park