Oaxaca The Culture Center of Mexico

 

The cultural center of Mexico….Oaxaca.. a vibrant urban city.  Nine days of tranquility and beauty. The temperatures were in the low 80s.  The comida was off the charts! I loved the duck and mole. 

The people were incredibly kind and warm. Los Golondrinas hotel was a garden paradise.

Highlights of the trip…….

Shopping at markets markets markets around the Zocalo

Abundant indigenous arts and handicrafts

Fiestas Decembrinas

The restaurants and the cuisine! (Don Juanitos was our favorite)

MONTE ALBAN -Zapotec ruins

Los Arquitos (aqueducts)

Jardin - etno botanico

Climbing Cerro Del Fortin (246 stair steps)

The finest mezcal on the planet

The village of TLACOLULA and its world famous Sunday market

Negative Covid tests so we could return to Snottsdale  for Christmas

Thanks to my amigo Bob Shea for the impetus to go to Oaxaca and touring advice.

 "A River Runs through it"

Montana ROCKS!! I have always loved my/our trips there!

I knew we needed a small vacation
But it didn't look like rain

So….. we took a direct flight to Bozeman Montana. We rented a car and drove to Gardner (north entrance) and spent 6 fabulous days in Jellystone where we hooked up with my ole podnah Lou Brewer and spouse Carol from Reno. Lou goes to Jellystone every year and provided us with valuable insights and recommendations, including the guide service.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is remarkable. OLD FAITHFUL-well….BORING! We did have  a fun white  knuckled Yellowstone River raft trip. 

 We then drove over the scenic scenic scenic Bear Tooth Highway to Red Lodge to spend 3 incredible days with my ole Podnah (of 66 years) Bob Ewald and wife Sara. Their hospitality and warmth were off the charts. Teddy the bear and other bears and cubs would frequently visit their property. Fun fun fun!

It has been my dream since boy scouts of seeing a wolf in the wild. The Mexican wolf (lobo) has been reintroduced here in southeast Arizona/New Mexico.  My son and I are going to the White Mountains next week and are hopeful of a sighting.

We our waiting for our  mailed copy of our  wolves sightings video from Yellowstone Wild. We witnessed the Junction Butte Pack for well over an hour.  Our naturalist/biologist guide EMIL was first class.So I apologize for not including it. Carolyn of Yellowstone Wild was also superb. Highly recommended!

On our first day we viewed in awe, five adults and seven pups!  I still can feel the excitement rushing through me at the time. The pinnacle of wildlife sightings, nothing has topped that...wild wolves? Whoever gets to see that? The alpha mother was feeding the hungry pups by regurgitating. Nature at its finest!
Actual sightings of these predators are rare and few and far between. 

We also saw a mama grizzly and 2 playful cubs, along with moose,, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, pronghorns, elk, sandhill cranes and  thousands of bison in the Lamar Valley -the Serengeti of North America. Gerry loved the babies.

My previous favorites in the wild were enjoyable but they pale in comparison to that magical morning.

-The big 5 in Africa...African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Leopard, Lion, and Rhinoceros

-Andean Condors in Peru and California Condors in the Grand Canyon

-Wombats and Taz Devils in Tasmania

-Griz and cubs in Yellowstone, close encounter in Glacier, and the tundra in Alaska

-A herd of wild Mustangs galloping thru the northern Nevada open range

-Whale sharks in the Antarctic ocean

-A leopard on a tree limb with a dead zebra he had dragged and pulled up the tree to munch on..... In Kenya

- Jesus Christ lizards, that run across water in Costa Rica

-A sidewinder and coatamundis in Arizona

and.......so many more, I could go on and on …...

.

We have been so fortunate to live a traditional life coupled with a life of adventure. The candle of life is burning quickly my friends. I wish all of you the beauty of nature and thrill of adventure.

Today......

I pinch myself and ask did we really see wild wolves, and did I have a tear in my eye?

 11 fantastic days-just returned -jet lagged, so no trip report just photos

Highlights

Old Town Vilnius Lithuania

Old Town Riga Latvia

Old TownTallinn Estonia

Laheemaa National Park

Laju Takas-treetop walking Path

Gauja National Park

Russian Bunker

Trakai Castle

Eco Farm -organic horticulture workshop

Cider House