Shaun arranged for his friend, Maricuny (Cuny for short), to take us out fishing on his 40' charter boat for our first day on the island. Michael and I had a light breakfast (we have a kitchen in our rooms) and then Shaun joined us for the short hop to the marina. We were forewarned that the weather had been a bit dicey and there would be a significant chop....indeed. But the sky was clear and the fish, while not too cooperative, were there. We picked up several tuna and bonita, which we used for bait and managed to spend most of the day feeding barracuda. High light of the trip was the on board sushi bar. Cuny and Shaun would take the tuna and cut thin slices of it, add a little hot sauce (which ... read more

So I have been back for over a week and still collecting thoughts and photos to finish this trip blog up. Here goes, but trust me, there is no way words or even pictures capture the expanse of this place. We took off on a Friday afternoon to get to Kluane National Park in the Yukon. Just so you do not think that all the weather was great while I was there, here is a shot of Lara and I at the Alaska/Canada boarder in a driving snow storm that was ripping through the White Pass as we drove through. Of course, given the way weather changes there, by the time we reached White Horse the clouds had broken. We stopped in at Denny's favorite place to eat, Big Bear Donair and had several Donairs....which are ... read more

After 2400 miles over six days we arrived at our destination, south of Bozeman, Mt at. a good friends’ cabin on the Gallatin River. As you can see from the photo, the real aim of the trip for George was fishing—this fine 16” brown trout was taken (and released) on the first day of our visit. However, there is no internet here in the Gallatin Canyon (yea!!!) and so this final installment from our road trip is a bit late. The final day started in Deadwood. We left our bed and breakfast and walked to the top of a hill overlooking the town where we visited the gravesites of Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane—really! We then took a tour of one of the many historic homes in the area, build in the 1870s it was ... read more

Here is the report from days two and three on the way west! We left Cedar Falls, Iowa on Tuesday and headed north towards Minnesota. First stop was “The Little Brown Church” that inspired the old hymn “Come to the Church in the Wildwood” (you will love this rendition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOm0bhnfmDw). Back on the road as we approached the town of Clear Lake, Iowa, George caught sight of a sign for a public garden, something we try not to pass up, so we added a new, unplanned stop—the beauty of somewhat unplanned travel. Should have known it was going to be a great detour when the first thing we spotted after getting on the exit ramp was a fox trotting along side the road. The garden was a real treat, one of those things that civic-minded communities ... read more

Sailing with Darwin and Fitz Roy Our three days at the 'fin de mundo' (end of the world as they like to call it here) have been a nice finish to the trip. Yesterday we boarded a sailboat and sailed in the Beagle Channel, where Fitz Roy captained the ship (the Beagle) that carried Darwin on his voyage of discovery. We sailed first to an island that held a large cormorant colony and then on to another one covered with sea lions. From there we motored over to "Isla H"; which, given the Spanish language, I believe is pronounced "Isla ...." (OK, Spanish teacher joke, the H is often not pronounced). We walked the island, spending time observing Black Cormorants on their nests and climbing to the top where the light house is. We had a ... read more