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Alaskan Cruise (May 2013) : Along with our friends Steve & Rebecca, we took a 7-day cruise through the Alaskan inland passage. Leaving Vancouver (Canada), we stopped at the ports of Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, and Wrangell. Our ship, the Oceania Regatta, returned to Vancouver after the voyage. These 150 photos show the natural beauty of this area, along with the beautiful flowers and other sites, along the way. You can track the journey by clicking on "Map This" in the upper-right corner. (Some of the GPS geotagging is not entirely accurate.) Enjoy the photos!

Alaskan Cruise (May 2013)

Along with our friends Steve & Rebecca, we took a 7-day cruise through ...

Updated: May 29, 2013 4:03pm PST

Alaskan Cruise (May 2013) - People Pictures :

Alaskan Cruise (May 2013) - People Pictures

Updated: May 27, 2013 1:14pm PST

Sutherland Trail Hike (4-12-13) : This trail departs from Catalina State Park, which is a 20-minute drive from our home. Hiking the entire distance would be 12 miles and take you to the top of Mount Lemmon, a gain of 7,000 feet. Our group of 11, ably led by Tim, did only a small portion of the trail, around 3 miles each way. Although the wildflower season is ending, we still saw a wide variety of beautiful blossoms, as well as many saguaro and other cacti. Enjoy the photos! Note: These images are geo-tagged, so you can see them on a map by clicking "Mat This" in the upper-right corner of the screen.

Sutherland Trail Hike (4-12-13)

This trail departs from Catalina State Park, which is a 20-minute driv ...

Updated: Apr 13, 2013 8:45am PST

Deer Camp Hike (3-9-13) : This 6-1/2 mile hike combined parts of three trails located a short distance from our home, in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Along with four others from the hiking club, we started out in rather cool and wet weather, although it cleared up eventually. The rain made the desert especially green, there was water in some of the washes, and we even saw a little fresh snow when we looked up on top of the mountains. Enjoy the pictures! Note: These images are geo-coded, so you can see them on a map by clicking on "Map This" in the upper-right hand corner.

Deer Camp Hike (3-9-13)

This 6-1/2 mile hike combined parts of three trails located a short di ...

Updated: Apr 11, 2013 3:39pm PST

Sweetwater Preserve hike : On March 29, 2013, I hiked parts of the Sweetwater Preserve, along with 14 other members of the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club. Club guide Elizabeth took us on a scenic 7-mile trek over several of the well-marked trails. This preserve is located on the west side of Tucson, in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains. This area is adjacent to Saguaro National Park, so it was not surprising to see an abundance of saguaro along our path. There were also a few wildflowers beginning to bloom, which added more color to our hike. As the images are geo-tagged, you can see them on a map by clicking "Map This" in the upper right hand corner. Enjoy the photos!

Sweetwater Preserve hike

On March 29, 2013, I hiked parts of the Sweetwater Preserve, along wit ...

Updated: Mar 30, 2013 10:37am PST

Wasson Peak hike : On March 15, 2013, I climbed Wasson Peak as part of a SaddleBrooke Hiking Club activity. There are many paths to the peak, and ours was among the shortest and steepest, with an 1800 foot gain. Normally a trek for stronger hikers, the pace was "slow" for the benefit of those of us who would not normally attempt this route to the highest point (at 4687 feet) in the Tucson Mountains. Wasson Peak is on the west side of Tucson, part of Saguaro National Park. So, the hike included a mixture of saguaros, some wildflowers, and beautiful vistas at the higher elevations. These images are geo-tagged, so you can see them on a map by clicking "Map This" in the upper-right corner. Enjoy the pictures!

Wasson Peak hike

On March 15, 2013, I climbed Wasson Peak as part of a SaddleBrooke Hik ...

Updated: Mar 30, 2013 10:28am PST

Dripping Springs Hike - Catalina State Park (3-6-13) : On March 6, along with 12 other members of the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club, I went to "Dripping Springs", which is an offshoot of the popular Sutherland Trail in Catalina State Park. It was a beautiful day, an easy hike, good company, and we had excellent guides Paul and Ruth. We crossed water twice, the result of recent snows in the upper reaches of the Catalina Mountains. There were many large stands of saguaros and the spring wildflowers were just beginning to appear. The best way to view these images is to click on the large photo and then use your arrow keys to move through these 25 pictures. You can also follow the path by clicking on "Map This" in the upper-right. (My camera has geo-tagging capability.) You will see a regular map, and can shift to an aerial version by clicking on the "stack of papers" in the upper-right of the map and choosing "aerial." Enjoy the photos!

Dripping Springs Hike - Catalina State Park (3-6-13)

On March 6, along with 12 other members of the SaddleBrooke Hiking Clu ...

Updated: Mar 08, 2013 8:47am PST

Adventures with Frau Fischer : We were lucky to spend so much time with Frau Fischer while we were in Switzerland. After a nice reunion and dinner with the family in Zurich, we also visited Zug for the first time and were able to tour this quaint city. Then, Frau Fischer joined us in Ticino and showed us "her Lugano." This included meeting her nice friends, walking around the city, and a lake cruise which stopped in many cute villages in Switzerland and Italy. On the final day, we took a bus to Carona, and hiked down to Morcote. Along the way, we stopped at the Madonna d'Ongero Church, which has a plain exterior, but beautiful interior decorations. We met several young priests at this church, who were all from outside Switzerland. Walking further, we were lucky to spend time at the Maria di Torello Monastery, which dates from the 1200's. The owners of this land and the old monastery were very friendly, including Francesca, who spoke perfect English. (She spent time when she was younger in Minnesota, USA.) After the monastery, we finished our hike down in Morcote, where we enjoyed a brief rest before taking the bus back to Lugano. This was a special visit with Frau Fischer, which we will always cherish.

Adventures with Frau Fischer

We were lucky to spend so much time with Frau Fischer while we were in ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2012 9:45am PST

People along the Way (Europe - 2012) : Here are some pictures from our European vacation, showing people and a few animals. They are mostly of Jack & Chris, but also include friends whom we saw throughout our journey and a few other interesting folks. These photos are in the order of our tip, and can be located on a map by clcking "Map This" in the upper-right hand corner. We began with our driving trip through 7 countries, then we spent a month in Paris, and finally took a cruise around the British Isles. It was great to see everyone, and so nice to have these memories to keep in pictures.

People along the Way (Europe - 2012)

Here are some pictures from our European vacation, showing people and ...

Updated: Sep 23, 2012 11:17am PST

British Isles Cruise - 2012 : These photos show the highlights of our 12-day British Isles cruise, which departed from Dover, England. The ports includes Scotland (Edinburgh, Orkney Islands, Isle of Skye), Northern Ireland (Belfast), and the Republic of Ireland (Dublin, Waterford, Cobh). As with the other galleries, these images includes favorite views and are not meant to provide a tour of the ports. Each photo was geo-tagged, so you can view them in their locations by clicking on "Map This" in the upper-right hand corner. (Note: There are some aberrations.) This gallery is the last one for our 2012 European vacation, and we hope that you enjoy the pictures.

British Isles Cruise - 2012

These photos show the highlights of our 12-day British Isles cruise, w ...

Updated: Sep 19, 2012 1:27pm PST

West of Paris - 2012 : These photos show five great stops west of Paris, starting with Claude Monet's house and gardens at GIVERNY. The lily pond which inspired many of his most famous paintings were beautiful and serene under a light rain during our visit. The medieval cathedral of CHARTRES, finished in 1253, is beautifully preserved and contains many original stained glass windows. The detail of the masonry, with a wide variety of religious and everyday carvings, is remarkably intact. SAINT MALO is a well-maintained fortified, walled city in Brittany. With a long and prosperous history, it still has the solid character of a town built to last. MONT SAINT MICHEL is built on a tidal island in Normandy. It is an imposing site from a distance, and is topped by a large monastery built over 1,000 years ago. HONFLEUR is a picturesque old port city in Normandy. Built up around an active harbor, it has inspired many artists, including Monet. These photos are geo-tagged, so that you can see the location of each image by clicking on "Map This" in the upper-right hand corner. We hope that you enjoy these pictures.

West of Paris - 2012

These photos show five great stops west of Paris, starting with Claude ...

Updated: Sep 11, 2012 3:59pm PST

Paris 2012 : These 50 photos represent a potpourri of images from the sites we visited during our stay in Paris this summer. We are very familiar with the city, so some of the pictures are touristic, while others were simply interesting to us. This selection was reduced from hundreds of photos, and even thousands of pictures would not do this beautiful city justice. The sequence generally reflects beginning at the Seine, exploring the right bank, and then moving to the left bank. In actuality, we stayed within a block of Saint Sulpice Church, of which there are several photos. Each image is geo-tagged (in some cases, in correctly for some reason), so you can see where the photo was taken by clicking on "Map This" in the upper-right hand corner. We hope that you enjoy this overview of Paris.

Paris 2012

These 50 photos represent a potpourri of images from the sites we visi ...

Updated: Sep 03, 2012 7:12pm PST

Munich to Paris - 150 Photos : We drove from Munich to Paris in 30 days, visiting 7 countries, and accumulating almost 4,000 miles on the odometer. These images, chronologically arranged, include some favorite photos from the various locations, culled from thousands of pictures taken along the way. They are definitely not meant to be a tourist overview, as they concentrate on places and sites which appealed most to us. Each photo was geo-tagged, so you can see where they were taken by clicking on "Map This" at the upper-right. You can further zoom in to pinpoint the actual location, although there are a few errors in the geo-tagging. There will be a separate gallery (or galleries) for Paris, Brittany, Normandy, and the British Isles cruise. There will also be a separate gallery of "people pictures", for those who are interested. Looking at these pictures helps us re-live a wonderful journey, and we hope that you enjoy them as well.

Munich to Paris - 150 Photos

We drove from Munich to Paris in 30 days, visiting 7 countries, and ac ...

Updated: Aug 28, 2012 9:00am PST

Favorites - Arizona/Utah Hikes (5-12) : In mid-May 2012, I was privileged to view some of Mother Nature's most beautiful creations along the Arizona-Utah border. This gallery represents about 10% of the photos which I took of Horseshoe Bend, The Wave, Buckskin Gulch, and the Toadstools. The Wave is considered one of the best treks available, and it attracts knowledgeable hikers from all over the world. There are only 20 permits granted each day, and I was fortunate to accompany experienced hikers Frank and Virginia. I also joined them the next day, when we explored a portion of Buckskin Gulch, one of the longest slot canyons on earth. Later that day, as Frank and Virginia moved on, I stopped by the Toadstools, a short hike in from the main highway. Viewing Notes: - For the largest images, select "Slideshow" in the upper right. - These photos are all geo-tagged and can be viewed on a map by selecting "Map This" in the upper right. (Buckskin Gulch geo-tagging is limited due to poor satellite signals in the slot canyon.)

Favorites - Arizona/Utah Hikes (5-12)

In mid-May 2012, I was privileged to view some of Mother Nature's most ...

Updated: May 14, 2012 7:13pm PST

Aravaipa Canyon (4-19-12) : Seven members of the SB Hiking Club explored the full length of Aravaipa Canyon..... Four of us started in the East, and three started in the west. By swapping car keys, both groups were able to cover the entire canyon in a day. It is a 12-mile hike, mostly level, but with creek crossings every few minutes. Luckily, it was a nice day and the water was refreshing. Frank led our group, which included Rose Marie, Stan, and myself. It was a spectacular experience, and I hope that the 75 pictures in this gallery convey some of the beauty of this natural wilderness area. As my photos are geo-tagged, you can view the route on a map by clicking "Map This" in the upper-right corner. On the map, click on the pile of pages in the upper-right and choose "aerial" for the best perspective.

Aravaipa Canyon (4-19-12)

Seven members of the SB Hiking Club explored the full length of Aravai ...

Updated: Apr 21, 2012 6:12pm PST

Rock formations :

Rock formations

Updated: Apr 18, 2012 9:52am PST