While visiting my in-laws we went on a guided nature walk in their town that visited multiple vernal pools. A couple of representatives from the state department of conservation provided lots of information about the pools and what lives there. There were lots of kids that were very excited to see so much wildlife, and they were even allowed to touch it. Naturally I channeled my inner child and enjoyed it just as much.
I took advantage of a beautiful weekend to take a trip into Boston to visit the Museum of Science. I was visiting alone this time, so the trip really was about taking photos. This was also the trip where I discovered the amazing butterfly garden exhibit. Though small, it is packed with amazing butterflies and flowers. I spent nearly an hour in one room just following these beautiful creatures around.
After spending time with the butterflies, I toured a number of other exhibit halls, watched the show at the Theater of Electricity, and attended an animal meet and greet. Once I finished up at the museum I rounded out the day with a visit to the Bunker Hill Monument and museum. As you can tell from the number of photos, I had a great time.
I got my first taste of back country skiing this winter at Bolton Valley. I stayed with some friends at the Bryant Cabin up one of the back country ski trails. I hiked in on a Saturday afternoon and spent the evening in the cabin. The next morning we got up and went out for a small tour down the back side of the mountain and back. It was really a great trip.
March 2019 brought a bit of excitement… A new Canon EOS RP! Of course that meant I had to go out and take lots of photos of the local spots that I know so well, starting with a walk through Callahan State Park.
As expected, the experience was not without it’s photographic difficulties as I worked to adjust to the new camera. I certainly enjoyed the process though.
We spent a day relaxing at the Hotel Xcaret Mexico where were staying. It was a very nice stay, and we were shocked at how empty the place was. It was like spending out time in an advertisement for a hotel where there are no people. On top of that, the food was great, including lots of local options. The layout is also very interesting. There are not many maps that indicate where to go or what you can do. It is really intended to be explored, and we had fun doing so. We would highly recommend staying here.
For the second day of our stay in Mexico we went on an excursion out to the Chichen Itza. I really enjoyed seeing the ancient architecture and looking at (and photographing) the many little details there were to see. On the return trip, we also stopped at the Ik Kill Cenote and had a chance to swim in the water.
We started our trip to Mexico’s Riviera Maya at the Hotel Xcaret Mexico. Our stay included access to the Xcaret eco theme park. We rode bikes over to the entrance from the hotel and spend at least half the day exploring what it had to offer. It was certainly not your typical park. There was water everywhere. One highlight for us was the underground river that you can swim through. It was a great way to tour the park.
I had some free time on a trip down to Orlando for work and wanted to get out to see some nature with some coworkers. We ended up driving down to Shingle Creek and renting some kayaks for the afternoon. It was not a very long paddle, but took us through a cypress forest. We saw a nice variety of wildlife along the way. Certainly a change of pace from Universal Studios!
I have hiked around various parts of this general area in the past, but have wanted to find a way to link things together in a unique way. The result is this hike from the Prison Camp trail head at the Gordon Hirabayashi campground into Bear Canyon and out to the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center. The hike was quite nice, though it was longer and more difficult than I expected. We had some difficulty finding the Bear Canyon Trail, so we got held up for a while there. We ended up getting out quite late. All in all a nice, but long, hike.
While we were out in Tucson for the new year, we decided to stop by the Arizona Desert Museum. I had not been there in years, but remembered enjoying it. This time I particularly enjoyed the hummingbirds and big cats.
