Hi, I'm Eric.
I’m an avid world traveler, photographer, software developer, and digital storyteller.
I help implement the Content Authenticity Initiative at Adobe.
Hi, I'm Eric.
I’m an avid world traveler, photographer, software developer, and digital storyteller.
I help implement the Content Authenticity Initiative at Adobe.
I’ve been to over 70 countries and territories around the world and am looking forward to seeing many more.
I share new stories of my travels here and am gradually retelling old travel stories.
I hope you enjoy following this or another of my blogs!
Earlier this week, we saw somebody wearing a baseball cap advertising Hot Dog Johnny in the charmingly-named town of Buttzville, New Jersey.
We’re mostly hanging out around our hotel and visiting family. Today I will share a few candid photos that we took around our neighborhood.
Lisa and I arrived in New Jersey yesterday morning for a weeklong family visit.
We’ve spent the last couple days of our time in Australia at a lovely resort in Noosa Heads. Most of yesterday was spent on some leisurely hikes around Noosa National Park and today we drove back to Brisbane.
We started this morning with a visit to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Such adorable creatures!
We’re on to Brisbane, our next destination, today. Our flight left in the early afternoon, so we did a bit of extra driving around the channel south of Hobart before driving to the airport.
Now that we’ve rearranged our trip, we’re enjoying one of our bonus days in Tasmania.
Bomb cyclone. Massive winter storm. Hurricane-like winds. Whatever you call it, there’s a big storm headed for Australia’s east coast in the next couple of days.
After a few days of go-go-go we needed a respite. So my daughter took a day to lay low and I took a casual drive around the north part of the island.
I mentioned yesterday that we arrived late in the evening at an AirBNB site that’s on a farm in rural Victoria. We arrived too late to see much of the farm, so they sent a welcoming committee first thing in the morning. (We made very fast friends, as you can see!)
The plan was to get an early start and make our way along the coast to a fun AirBNB located on a farm in rural Victoria.
Hello from Down Under! My daughter and I are starting a grand adventure to explore the east coast of Australia.
Today my team hosted the third Content Authenticity Summit on Roosevelt Island in New York City. I’ve written about the event over on my dev blog. After the event wound down, some of us went to a nearby rooftop lounge to celebrate with a cocktail. We got there just at dusk, which gave me the opportunity to take a few skyline photos.
This morning, we visited my cousin’s farm for breakfast and got to know their pet goats, horses, and chickens. Here’s a little sampling of their animal family.
Today we left the big city and headed up to visit some relatives of mine near the Canadian border in upstate New York.
Ever since I first visited the TWA Hotel and Connie Cocktail Lounge a few years ago, I’ve been scheming how to share this experience with my sweetheart.
After a fun few days at Internet Identity Workshop, it’s time to head home.
Yesterday, I explored the west side of Pinnacles National Park. Today, I made the longer trek to the east side of the park.
I’m staying this weekend near Monterey. I’ve long been curious about Pinnacles National Park, so I ventured out to explore the west side of the park today.
I’m in California to attend a conference in the Bay Area. I came down a few days early to (surprise, surprise) do a bit of exploring.
I’ve been in Utah for the last week, mostly for personal reasons, but got a few fun window-seat photos and driving-around photos that I’d like to share.
Today our company took a company-wide holiday. I happened to be in Salt Lake City, so I decided to go visit Golden Spike National Historical Park, which commemorates the point at which the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869.
I’ve written here before that borders fascinate me. Today I explored a tiny exclave of the United States that – for those of us without private planes or boats – is reachable only by driving through the adjacent parts of Canada.
This morning, I woke up early again to view more of Joshua Tree National Park. This time, I took the turn to Pinto Basin Road toward the Cottonwood Springs area and exited the park to the south toward Salton Sea.
I woke up early this morning to go explore Joshua Tree National Park. What a treat it was!
With most of my immediate family out of town on various travels of their own, I decided to treat myself to a few days in the desert of Southern California. I’m excited to check out Joshua Tree National Park this weekend. Stay tuned!
We decided to close out our week in Mexico with the Rhythms of the Night show, which a friend back home had recommended to us.
For today, we made a lazy day of it and went back to the malecón and did a bit more shopping.
Thanksgiving isn’t exactly a major holiday in Mexico, but we managed to find some ways to enjoy our traditions while away.
A friend who lives in the area recommended we visit the Vallarta Botanical Garden. We drove to the garden today. It did not disappoint.
We’ve rented a car for a few days to explore beyond the bounds of our resort for a bit.
It’s Thanksgiving Week. Lisa and I are taking a moment to ourselves and enjoying the warmth and sunshine that’s available a few hours’ flight to our south on Mexico’s Pacific Coast.
As I mentioned yesterday, Lisa and I are taking a few days in Las Vegas for a conference. For dinner tonight, we ventured away from the Strip to check out the Fremont Street Experience, which is a pedestrian mall in a more historic part of the city.
Lisa and I are in Las Vegas for a few days while she attends a conference. We had a bit of extra time this morning, so we visited Valley of Fire State Park, about an hour north of the city.
Lisa and I took a long weekend to explore central Washington a bit. Not a lot to share other than the new parks over at 146 Parks, but we did enjoy the views at Washington Pass on Highway 20.
My main reason for being in Berlin was to present on the work of the Content Authenticity Initiative to my fellow digital identity professionals. My slot was on Wednesday after the lunch break.
On Day 3 of this trip, it was time to head to Berlin. I slept in a bit, which left only a little time for exploring along the way.
Today I drove from Bratislava to Warsaw. I took a detour through some of the mountainous regions on the Slovak/Czech border and was rewarded with some excellent scenery. To wit:
I’m headed to Berlin this week for the 2024 European Identity Conference. I left a couple days early so I could go exploring a bit.
It was time to return home today. We took a little time to have lunch and walk around Alexandria, then headed to the airport for our flight home.
Today was our last full day on the East Coast. We met with a favorite cousin of Lisa’s for lunch in Clifton, Virginia, where I (the newbie to the family) was very warmly welcomed.
Now that our work weeks are over, I came back to Washington to reconnect with Lisa and spend some time near DC before heading back home.
Lisa suggested I explore Roosevelt Island while I was in NYC. Today is my last day in the city and I made some time before heading out to do so. I found an island that was clean and quiet and mostly residential, with some great views across the East River to the larger parts of the city:
My work has me staying in a hotel in the Meatpacking District of New York this week. When I asked for walking directions from Penn Station to my hotel, I wound up on the High Line, which is an elevated railway converted into a public park and walkway space.
Today I took the Acela train from Washington to New York City.
Where I live, we refer to Washington DC as “the other Washington.” I’m not sure if that’s meant as a compliment or not. Anyhow, Lisa’s work and mine conspired to have us both on the East Coast this week, so we arranged to fly together so we could enjoy the weekends together even though our work required us to be in different cities.
There are … more direct … ways to get from Poulsbo to Spokane, but I’m not one to let the shortest distance between two points get in the way of a good time.
Our time in California is over. This morning, I went for an early morning walk through Mendocino Headlands State Park.
For me, the appeal was yet another visit to Mendocino, probably my 15th or 20th over at least 30 years. (I was there twice last year alone!) For Lisa, the appeal was an opportunity to visit Glass Beach in nearby Fort Bragg.
Lisa and I are in California this week while I attend a conference. We flew down Sunday afternoon and took some time to enjoy the coastal drive from Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz on Monday before arriving at the conference venue in Mountain View.
A last-minute opportunity presented itself and so I am taking a few days to myself as a “me-cation” in the Columbia River Gorge.
We wrapped up our time in Baja with three nights in San José del Cabo. While Cabo San Lucas (a 30-minute drive away) is the well-known resort destination and party city, San José del Cabo is a much calmer, artsy place. (Much more our speed, really.)
This morning, we departed Cabo Pulmo on our way to San José del Cabo. Along the way, we stopped at the scenic Cañón de la Zorra (Fox Canyon) for an afternoon hike.
After lunch in Todos Santos, we got back in the car and drove to the very, very quiet coastal village. Lisa had visited Cabo Pulmo some years ago and was eager to return. It was – as promised – very remote and almost entirely off the grid.
This morning, we had one last breakfast in Cabo and headed north to the historic/arts community of Todos Santos. Both of us had been here before and we were eager to make this part of our trip.
Yesterday, we wished for more sun and today … success! We booked a two-hour sunset cruise and it was … chef’s kiss … superb!
The plan was to find a nice trail or a sunny beach and go for a hike. Now … if you’ve followed this blog for long, you know that any post that starts with “the plan was” invariably leads somewhere else.
Most of us who live in the Pacific Northwest find that there’s eventually a time when you gotta get out of town and find some sun and warmth for a few days. Lisa and I hit that point recently and so we booked ourselves a trip to the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.
To ring in the New Year, I explored the coast from Tofino down to Ucluelet and back.
Long, long day on the road today, but the rewards were so worth it!
After a few long days on the road, I mostly took a rest today. I drove a relatively short route to Port Alice just to see what it was about and otherwise laid low and kept to myself today.
Today I drove as far as you can to the north of Vancouver Island. I’m staying tonight and tomorrow night in Port Hardy, a small tourist and fishing village at the end of British Columbia’s Highway 19.
Today I did a variation on the Pacific Marine Circle Route, which is to say that I explored the part of Vancouver Island that is mostly west of Victoria and Nanaimo.
I’ve been to Victoria, British Columbia, many times, but I haven’t seen much of Vancouver Island beyond the capitol city. Over the next several days, I’ll be “fixing” that – by exploring the rest of the island.
The plan was … OK, the hope was that there would be a day with fog and low tides while we were in South Carolina so I could come back to Botany Bay and make some of the ethereal photos that this location is famous for.
We came back from Savannah this morning to spend a bit of time with our friends and also to see a few favorite places near Charleston. We’re staying for the next couple nights in an AirBNB in Johns Island. The highlight for today was the rare opportunity to tour some of the historic plantation homes near Edisto Island.
We’re mostly in South Carolina visiting friends in Edisto Beach, but we’re taking some time to explore a bit on our own as well. We’ve returned for a couple of days to Savannah, Georgia.
Keeping it simple today; took the day off from work (as did the most of Adobe) and also from doing much with the camera.
Ever get curious to see where a road goes for no good reason whatsoever?
Lisa and I are back for a fall work-cation visiting friends in South Carolina. I scored a window seat and got treated to some wonderful skyscapes on the way today.
This week I’ve been attending Internet Identity Workshop (warning: that link is mostly deeply geeky).
This week I’ve been attending Internet Identity Workshop (warning: that link is mostly deeply geeky). This event is held twice a year at the lovely Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, which recounts the formative years of our tech industry.
This afternoon, I was in Olympia and in search of a short, new hike for a bit of exercise. The trail guides pointed me to the Bob Bammert Grove trail and it was just perfect for the occasion.
My fiancé and I took a short trip to San Francisco this weekend. This was partly so I could have a couple of work-related meetings and partly just for fun.
Lisa and I bumped into some friends of ours in Olympia on Wednesday night. They happened to have their boat nearby and invited us aboard. We got a nice view of the Lady Washington as she sailed Budd Inlet near us.
My daughter and I are on one last road trip before our summer vacation comes to an end. We both spent some time in the San Juan Islands over the last few days. (See 146 Parks for some details of my explorations.) Since then, we’ve headed north into parts of British Columbia neither of us have seen before.
The plan was to spend a couple of days on the California coast and then work our way up through Crater Lake and Bend, Oregon, before heading home.
Yesterday, we drove from Reno to Half Moon Bay, California, by way of the south side of Lake Tahoe. Today, we drove back into San Francisco for some shopping and a big-city experience.
Our time in Salt Lake City has come to an end and we’re making our home by way of the California coast.
I took a not-quite-direct route from Boise to Salt Lake City. Not a lot of time for photos today, but I did get to explore some parts of Idaho I had not seen before.
I’m on my way to Salt Lake City for an important family occasion this weekend. Today’s travels took me to Boise by way of a part of Idaho I had not seen before.
One of my favorite things about working at Adobe is the periodic invitation to disconnect from the day-to-day for weeks at a time and recharge. When I first joined, that five-year mark seemed ages away. Tonight I began my fifth sabbatical.
After 43 days on the road, I am happy to be back home. Today’s travels took me from San Jose, California, over the Cascades, and to my partner’s home in the south Sound.
I’m in San Jose, California, for some meetings with my incredible team. Few pictures, as much of our time was in conference rooms, but we did take a day for a fun excursion to the Roaring Camp Railroad in the redwoods near Santa Cruz.
I spent the rest of the weekend in Mendocino and headed back to the Bay Area for a few days of meetings with the rest of my team.
Continuing on from my month-long trip through the Southeastern US, I spent most of this week representing my team and project at Internet Identity Workshop. IIW is a fabulous torrent of information and connections. Having attended before and had that same experience then, I made plans to have this weekend away and to myself.
Today marks the end our delightful time together in the Southeast. Today, I drove six hours back to Atlanta and flew another five hours to California. I’ll be there for the next several days for some work-related events and a bit of personal travel over the weekend.
Today is our last full day together on the Southeast. We were expecting clouds and rain but instead got a beautiful sunny day. We decided to visit one more plantation – the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, located on the Ashley River just outside of Charleston.
The AirBNB where we’re staying includes the use of kayaks, so I took one out just before sunset tonight.
We’ve spent this week in and around Charleston, first in Isle of Palms and more recently in another AirBNB on Bohicket Creek on Johns Island.
We spent a while walking the grounds of Bonaventure Cemetery before heading back to South Carolina to spend Easter weekend with some friends in Edisto Island.
This afternoon, we took a short trip to Wormsloe State Historic Site, the site of the home of one of the first British settlers in what would later become Georgia.
We’ve been spending this week in the already-sultry heat of Savannah, Georgia. It’s been around 30°C / 85°F most of the week, which – for those of us acclimated to Pacific Northwest climate – is quite enough, thank you.
From yesterday’s farm stay on the coast near Townsend, I drove down to Jekyll Island.
I found a last-minute AirBNB room on a farm in rural Georgia with goats and sheep and chickens and maybe an alligator in the river.
We left Charleston for points farther south along the coast. We’re spending a couple of nights in Hilton Head Island, before embarking on some separate journeys for a little while.
No big adventures for us today as it was a work day for me, but we did get out for a walk at sunset tonight. After a gray and blustery day, it was nice to see some color in the sky!
Some local friends suggested that we visit the Caw Caw Interpretive Center, a county-maintained wildlife preserve just outside of Charleston. We did and enjoyed a walk through a cypress swamp and former rice plantation.
It’s only March and already it is getting hot and sultry around here. This afternoon, we went out for a small adventure near Charleston: seeing the state park that commemorates the original Charles Town settlement from 1670.
Today, I left Wilmington and headed down to Charleston where I connected with Lisa. We’ll be in Charleston for the next several days. In both cities, I enjoyed the historic architecture.
Today was mostly a work day, but I did get the chance to explore a little bit around downtown while getting lunch and coffee.
Fortunately, I was able to get back on track and resume the trip as planned today.
Not the weasel. This isn’t an upbeat nursery rhyme.
Here goes a great new adventure! I flew today to Atlanta, Georgia, as part of a grand exploration of the southeastern United States.
I was in Utah for a long weekend. This was mostly a family visit, but I did get a chance to get out and enjoy the snowy mountain landscapes east of Salt Lake City a bit.
Once again, I was in for a real treat on my morning commute.
A short drive south of Olympia, Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve presents a most unusual landscape. Hundreds of small mounds of dirt, some as tall as a person make an oddly undulating grassland. Scientists have studied this landscape for nearly two centuries and have yet to agree on a convincing theory for how or why they were formed.
On a recent walk around Capitol Lake in Olympia, I spotted these ducks hanging out on a log.
Had a night to myself last night so I looked on AirBNB for last-minute getaways and found a steampunk caboose! Couldn’t pass that up, so I booked it and drove up there straight away.
We awoke this morning to news that our flight home to Seattle had been canceled. This gave us the opportunity to sleep in a bit and then go visit Botany Bay, near Edisto Beach.
Today was an easy, lay-low day, but we did get out to see the Angel Oak Tree, just outside of Charleston. This is a rare live oak tree with branches that go on and on forever, often going beneath the soil and re-emerging.
Today we explored Middleton Place, a centuries-old plantation that has survived from the 18th century and been preserved as a tourist attraction and historic landmark.
We had heard a strong recommendation to check out Hunting Island State Park, so “on our way” from our friends’ house on Edisto Island to Charleston, we checked it out.
Lisa had a bit of a head start on me, having spent Thanksgiving visiting her friends in Edisto Island. Today I flew from Seattle to Charleston and then drove to meet them.
Today, Lisa and I took the ferry across to Orcas Island and explored for the day.
We mostly worked today, but did make time for an afternoon hike through Iceberg Point at the south end of the island.
Lisa showed me around some of her favorite places on Lopez Island today.
Today it was time to head home. We left our AirBNB in the Garden District in the morning and had several hours before our flight back to Seattle. Being the road geek that I am, I wanted to drive some of the longest bridges in the country.
Friends told us that we should walk down a certain street in the Garden District at night and there would be a show to behold. Mind you, New Orleans in general does not disappoint when it comes to Halloween decor, but our friends were right. This house stood out.
These photos are mostly from our random evening walks around the Garden District and a few from when we went back to the French Quarter.
On our last full day of the trip, we decided to divide and conquer. I road-tripped again (shocker!) and Lisa explored the city a bit. My travels today took me to another coastal area, Grand Isle.
Our agenda for this day was perhaps a bit too ambitious. We departed New Orleans mid-morning, explored the Mississippi Delta region a bit, and then met some friends of mine from Washington who now live in the Gulf Coast of Mississippi State. The plan worked … but just barely.
Louisiana is famous for its swamps and bayous. And the gators that live within them. We took a sightseeing tour today with Cajun Encounters to the Honey Island Swamp near Slidell. And we saw gators!
With the conference nearly over, we decided to take an evening walking tour of the French Quarter and to learn about the city’s ghostly history.
On Sunday, we mostly laid low and explored the immediate area around our hotel.
After a few days meeting with my team in our Bay Area offices, I flew to New Orleans to meet my partner who would be attending a conference here for a few days.
The plan was to spend the night in Seattle, have fun watching a friend’s band play, and then set out for a weekend of visiting more parks in the San Juans, ideally to use my kayak to visit a couple of the marine state parks.
All great things must come to an end. Today we parted company and I flew home to Seattle. I had a window seat and was able to capture a few nice landscape photos on the way home.
We made most of our way back to Utah today, but this time via the “southern” route (i.e. I-70 as far as was reasonable).
This was mostly a lay-low day, but we took a brief road trip through the mountains west of Denver. Local guides suggested that Guanella Pass, an hour or so west of the city, would be an especially scenic route. It was.
So, it turns out it’s a long way from Salt Lake City to Denver. We drove this over two days with a brief stop in Wyoming. Mostly it gave us a chance to catch up and talk and do some shopping. There were lots of wide-open spaces and we didn’t take much time to stop for photos.
I flew down to Salt Lake City today. I’ll work for a couple of days from there and then my daughter and I will embark on a road trip together for a few days.
On our last full day of the trip, we took off a bit early to enjoy the sun and scenery.
We took this evening to satisfy a curiousity about Stansbury Island, which is not entirely an island any more due to lower lake levels.
This afternoon (Memorial Day), we visited Great Salt Lake State Park a bit west of Salt Lake City.
I’m in Utah for a few days for a family visit. I had a few hours to myself upon arrival and decided to check out the Ensign Peak Trail, which offered some nice views from above the city.
And now to business …
Adobe’s offices are near Union Square, so what follows are a few pictures from my time in the city.
As I am so often inclined to do, I took the long way from Port Jefferson into the city.
I had all day today to explore. I decided to head up the Connecticut coast for a while and then take a ferry from Bridgeport to the north shore of Long Island.
I arrived this evening a bit early for some meetings at Adobe’s New York offices. As is often the case with travel, there were some misadventures and delays, but it all worked out OK. The highlight of this evening was a stay at the TWA Hotel.
Today we drove north across central Washington for a park visit and a stay in mountains at Sun Mountain Lodge near Winthrop.
We worked from Pullman Thursday and Friday and then headed out in the afternoon. Not much to share from this day, except that I got to introduce Lisa to a favorite place in Richland, The Lodge at Columbia Point.
Remember when I said I had to be back in Eastern Washington right away?
Today we explored Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island State Parks.
There are … more efficient … ways to get from Salt Lake to Park City. But … why? You’d miss out on some amazing scenery.
For something a little different, I drove across the state today before heading to Utah for a few days to visit family. (Why? I need to be in eastern Washington right away when I get back.)
My partner and I took an impromptu trip to Portland and Astoria this weekend. We discovered two great hotels and added three new parks to the 146 Parks project.
The plan was to head east and visit a bunch of new parks for the 146 Parks project. That only sort of happened, but a good time was had nonetheless.
It was going to be a long day in any case. But when our 2am flight from San Juan became a 4:30am flight, there was no longer a direct flight available for us from Newark to Seattle. So … we took the long(er) way home.
This morning, we said goodbye to the treehouse and started our journey home. We had a full day to spend on the island, so we spent our lunch time in the southern coastal city of Ponce and then made our way to the very northeast corner of the island for a night-time bioluminescent kayak tour before heading back to the airport.
Happy New Year! Today, we drove down to the southwesternmost point of Puerto Rico to see Cabo Rojo and its lighthouse, Faro Los Morrillos.
We left Salinas this morning and drove through the mountains to the town of Utuado and then on to a most amazing treehouse near San Germán, where we will spend the last two evenings of our trip.
We are staying again in Salinas. What to do with the day in between? Do we go east or do we go west? A coin toss decided it and we explored the coast to the east of us.
We left San Juan this morning, rented a car, and explored the tropical rain forest in El Yunque National Forest.
Today we walked through the old city and its historic forts.
Having spent our first two days of acclimating and relaxing on the beach, we’ve now moved on to the historic district of Old San Juan.
This evening, we walked among the colorful streets and then to the Paseo del Morro, a trail along the edge of Castillo San Felipe del Morro.
So excited to start my first major vacation in … yeah, that long … and to share it with fellow travel aficionado and sweetheart Lisa Rozmyn.
I am on a brief solo road-trip this weekend. I woke up, looked out the window, and got outside as quickly as I could to capture this morning’s sunrise.
I often hike Dungeness Spit when I need a moment to myself. On this morning, returning from one such hike, Mother Nature sent me this inspiring visual with the receding fog.
My partner and I visited the Grays Harbor Lighthouse in Westport recently.
I had the opportunity for a long weekend away and decided to make some progress on my parks project.
This was a more quiet day. Few photos. I was ready to be home.
This was a day for moody cloudscapes and quiet contemplation.
After Taos, it was time for some high desert plains and some mountains. I landed this next night in the ski resort of Telluride.
Leaving Lubbock, I decided to continue satisfying my Panhandle curiosity. I drove north through Amarillo and into the far western edge of Oklahoma’s Panhandle before turning west to my destination for the night, Taos, New Mexico.
I’d long been curious about the Texas Panhandle region, but never had a compelling reason to actually visit. That reason recently appeared in the form of a family matter that required me to go to Dallas quickly, but left me with time to come home slowly and thoughtfully.
Herewith, Day 1 of my sojourn from Dallas to Seattle starting in west Texas:
I woke up at 3:30 this morning to get to a sunrise shoot at Columbia Hills Historical State Park. As dusk rose over the Columbia Gorge, I had to stop for a moment and capture this view along the way.
The plan was to go out and see a bunch of parks for the 146 Parks project, but alas, many of the parks in Central Washington are not really in their prime this time of year.
Today I drove out to visit Bogachiel State Park as part of my 146 Parks project. I couldn’t resist stopping by Lake Crescent for a few photos along the way there and back.
I woke up early this morning for a walk in one of my favorite quiet places.
I did a solo hike through the Green Mountain State Forest near my home.
I know we don’t (and shouldn’t) get out much these days, but I needed to visit a family member in the Bay Area recently. Had a few days to get home, so that led to a coastal road trip and a park visit on the way back.
I had the opportunity to take a long weekend away and visit two of the San Juan Islands.
As I mentioned a couple months ago, I’ve been working on a project to drive every mile of every state highway in Washington.
It’s good to get out and about a bit. This afternoon, I hiked Lake Twenty-Two near Granite Falls with a couple of friends.
Things are starting to open up a little bit. My daughter and I took a long weekend road trip to eastern Washington.
Today we took a brief walk near our hotel and then began the long journey home.
This is our last full day in Japan. We mostly walked around the neighborhood in which we’re staying.
Being the crazy photographer that I am, I awoke at 5am to capture sunrise at Mount Fuji. I was blessed with good weather this morning, and the resulting photo is the lead photo for today.
Any trip to Japan must include a ride on the famously-fast Shinkansen trains.
We spent today exploring the city of Kyōto.
And now, for something completely different …
I almost flew around the world in 72 hours.
I got to see a bit of the mountains of Tunisia today.
After a long day of exploring and photographing, it was time to go back to my hotel in La Marsa.
On the way back from Uthina, Sam suggested we stop by the coastal town of Sidi Bou Said.
After visiting the souks in Tunis, we went to visit an archaeological dig an hour or so to the south.
I hired a local guide to show me the sights of Tunis and surrounding areas.
I started this morning with a quick photo walk around the neighborhood where I’m staying.
In case you haven’t figured this out about me already, I like being a nomadic traveler.
Like the last two days, there was a plan for today.
Come to the Mediterranean, they said. It will be warm, they said.
Narrator: He took the bait.
Today I left Isle of Man and made my way through the English and Welsh countryside.
Farewell, Dublin. Hello, Isle of Man.
I left Dublin this morning and flew to the Isle of Man, which is in the Irish Sea between Dublin and Liverpool.
A friend of mine from the States happened to be in Dublin at the same time so the two of us went for a very long walk around Dublin this afternoon.
Today I explored into Northern Ireland again.
Borders fascinate me. Always have.
I spotted a point on the map where a road follows a relatively straight line across a national border between Ireland and the United Kingdom that is anything but straight.
So, of course, I had to go.
It’s 9:45 on a Monday evening as I write this.
I’m in a pub on Patrick Street, just 15 minutes by foot from where I’m staying this week. There is live music. The pub is alive with conversation. The music is good.
I am beginning a new journey.
As I mentioned in a recent photoblog post, this has been a rough few months for me. (More to come hopefully in the next month or so about that.) For the next two weeks, I’ll be indulging in some self-care-via-travel in Ireland, Germany, and some new points in between.
Give me ten hours to drive from Bainbridge Island to Seattle and creative routing will occur.
As planned, I finished my circumnavigation of the island and headed back home today.
It’s dark. I’m asleep. There are elephants.
Huh?
Elephants. Yes. Definitely elephants. Many elephants. They’re running. Stampeding. Right outside my door.
This … could be bad.
I’m spending the today and the next two days exploring the island nation of Taiwan.
After Costa Rica, it was time to head home. We sailed for two nights back to Fort Lauderdale. Since my flight back to Seattle departed late in the day, I had the opportunity to go out on a sight-seeing tour in the Everglades “on the way” to the airport.
We sailed overnight from Panama to Limón, Costa Rica. Today’s shore excursion from Limón included a tour of a rain forest and a visit to the Tortguero Canals near the Atlantic coast.
We left Cartagena last night and arrived early this morning at the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal. We sailed into Lake Gatún, the first major inland lake on the canal, and then I took a shore excursion to see the new version of the canal and some local culture.
We sailed overnight to Curaçao, making this my second new island nation in as many days.
After leaving the Bahamas, we sailed for most of two days to get to Aruba, an island nation just off the South American coast.
In the first few days or this trip, I’ve flown from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, boarded the cruise ship, and sailed to a private island in the Bahamas.
I write this from the comfort of my own home early on the morning after returning (jet lag, y’know?).
This was, all in all, a trip I greatly enjoyed. Perhaps at some point I’ll pull together some thoughts and some favorite photos and places. For now, I just wanted to close out the daily blogs with an appreciation to everyone who played a part in this grand journey – family, friends, and especially those who helped along the way when things got a little crazy.
As I mentioned yesterday, my return home didn’t quite go to plan, but fortunately no major derailment this time.
I guess the charitable way to put this is the European mainland wanted to hang on to me a bit longer.
Today we drove from Salzburg to Vienna.
Keron and I part company (sniff) tomorrow (actually, tonight as my flight tomorrow is much earlier than hers) and I will be on to new adventures for a few more days at least.
So happy to report that the weather is much nicer here in Salzburg.
The plan was to go slightly north from Pula to maybe Trieste on the Italian coast and lay low for a day or two before proceeding to the next airport. But instead a heat wave sunk in.
This morning I took a brief but very productive photo walk around the Old Town district of Bucharest. Then we bid farewell to Romania.
Today I took a long drive through the Romanian countryside.
I especially enjoyed the mountain regions and small rural villages. Here’s a sampling of what I saw today.
Oh, wait … that wasn’t the advice they gave people in the early American days?
I’ve long found the notion of a microstate intriguing.
After an unexpected adventure yesterday, car is acquired and we are Go Mission to resume the trip as (sort of) planned.
Today I’m thankful for a port in a storm.
I’ve spent most of the last 24 hours saying “How could you not love this?” to myself.
Amsterdam was at its best: perfect weather, everyone out and enjoying the canals and the cafés.
Alas, it was time to move on. This afternoon I took the train to Cologne.
Today I flew to Amsterdam where I will shortly be meeting some friends.
Today I took a long, winding drive from Riga, Latvia, to Vilnius, Lithuania.
I left Tallinn this morning (I’ll be back 😘) and enjoyed a nice drive through the Estonian countryside this afternoon.
Latvian driving, on the other hand … let’s just say it’s a bit on the wild side.
Today I took a ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia.
Based on a great tip from a friend who is originally from Finland, I ventured west from Helsinki today and visited the coastal resort town of Hanko and the inland village of Fiskars.
Decided to take it easy today, so I hit the motorway east from Helsinki for an hour or so and then took the old / slow roads back to the city.
This morning I watched as my wife and daughter walked through security and on towards the flights that will take them home.
Our paths diverge today and I continue on for another three weeks or so on my own. As I write this, their flight is said to be somewhere over that great frozen tundra known as Greenland.
This morning we drove into Kristiansand in search of coffee (yes, we are those American tourists who like fancy coffee drinks!) and a little shopping.
Today we left Oslo for the south coast of Norway.
A friend suggested that we spend some time in the coastal village of Kragerø. We did and it was absolutely charming. Most of today’s photos are from there.
Today we accepted an invitation to meet some friends on their boat for a tour of Oslo harbor.
Today, we left Ireland and flew to Norway.
We left the farm this morning and drove up to Galway.
We are staying at a farm / B&B near Limerick last night and tonight.
Today we left Blarney for a new location, staying at a farm near Limerick.
Today, based on a recommendation from a friend of Tara’s, we explored the coastal village of Kinsale. It was absolutely charming!
Today we left Dublin and made our way south to Blarney, just outside of Cork.
Today it was mostly sunny here in Dublin, so we took a city tour on one of those infamous double-decker buses.
This morning, we welcomed my wife Tara into the trip.
Today we said farewell to Scotland and took a short afternoon flight to Dublin.
Today, we took the car east for a bit more exploring and a few photos.
Today we took the car a bit farther west (to the coast).
Today we rented a car and explored the countryside around Edinburgh.
I asked Ayla some months ago whether she would prefer that I drive or we take the train from London to Edinburgh. She chose the train.
Yesterday was a long day. Fortunately we had the option of taking a daytime flight from Boston, which I think (Ayla might disagree) made the time zone transition easier.
Today we ventured into the heart of London.
Today we said goodbye to our relatives in Plattsburgh and returned to the airport in Boston.
We spent yesterday and today visiting with relatives in upstate New York; many photos, of course, but those are private family memories.
Yesterday, I said goodbye to my home and the wonderful island on which I live. I’m blessed to live in a beautiful place with such a great circle of friends.
We took a small family trip to Butchart Gardens in Victoria.
Early this afternoon (London time), we got in a big metal bird and chased the sun for almost half a day.
So long Switzerland, it was very nice to get to know you. We drove from Lugano to Zurich yesterday morning. I commented while we were driving that I could spend a day in each of the little valleys just soaking in the beauty and taking photos that I would love to have.
Today, we took a leisurely drive from our hotel in Lugano to Ascona for lunch and meandered back along some back roads to Lugano.
This morning we left Venice and drove west across the countryside and into the mountains that separate Italy from Switzerland. We’ll be here for the next few days and we are excited to explore the mountains and lakes around us.
We had a lovely day today exploring Venice and capping it off with – of course! – a gondola ride.
We left Vienna this morning and made a long road trip west across Austria with a little side trip through Slovenia. We are just now at our hotel in Venice. What an amazing, bizarre, fascinating city!
We drove most of the day today to Vienna and arrived in time for an evening cruise on the Danube.
Today we said goodbye to Hamburg and began a farewell tour of Europe.
Farewell, Hamburg, it has been very good getting to know you.
We … ummm … took a little detour on our way back from Münster to Hamburg.
There is something very charming about walkable European cities.
Dear Seattle / Fremont, Hamburg / Eimsbüttel sees your once-a-year naked cycle parade and raises you one permanently-installed naked cycle sculpture. Across from a school, even.
Seen while walking around our neighborhood today …
This weekend, we took an afternoon tour of the Außenalster, a lake in the heart of the city of Hamburg.
And now we’re back and I’m back to work. Had a great time in Stockholm and all the points along the way.
We took a full day of sightseeing with a friend who recently moved to Stockholm.
We’re celebrating the July 4 long weekend in classic all-American style … with a big road trip. Except we went road tripping to Sweden.
We moved to a new neighborhood (Eimsbüttel) today. The title of this page might suggest it’s a rough neighborhood, but it’s actually quite nice.
Walking around Hamburg this week, we’ve been treated to some impressive works of street art.
This afternoon, we went for a short drive in the countryside.
A few fun photos from the office and my commute this week …
There is a centuries-old traditional market near my office that has run every Sunday for centuries.
Last weekend, coming back from Berlin, we took a detour through the town of Crivitz.
We took a quick trip to Berlin this weekend.
Just a couple of fun photos from around our neighborhood in Hamburg today.
Another day, another beautiful walking commute …
Today we took the train over from Malmö to Copenhagen for a day of sightseeing.
Our first weekend in Germany and what do we do? We leave and go for a weekend vacation to Copenhagen. Just to make things extra spicy, we crossed one more border and found lodging in Malmö, Sweden.
I’ve arranged to work extra-remotely this summer. Adobe has kindly arranged for me to work with a team from its office in Hamburg, Germany, and for my family to tag along.
I just had a wonderful long weekend of photography and talking about photography with my friend Keron Psillas and noted photographer Sam Abell in and around Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
I’ve been visiting our office in Hamburg, Germany, for this past week.
I’m back from my amazing trip to South America. Having had a few days to rest and catch up, I thought I’d share some reflections on how it went.
Before embarking on the long journey home, I took one last tour to see some highlights of Quito.
This morning I went for one more walk around downtown Cuenca before heading back to Quito.
Yesterday I flew down to the mountain city of Cuenca. Today I took a guided tour of the city. Lots of fun scenes to share!
I spent most of today flying from the south of Chile to the Ecuadorian capital, Quito. I had a long layover in Chile’s capital, Santiago, so I hired a cooperative taxi driver to show me around the city before I had to embark on the multi-hour journey north to Ecuador.
I did the Andes Crossing today and it was absolutely beautiful. The Andes Crossing is a combination of bus and boat tours that lead across the Andes between San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, and Puerto Varas, Chile.
Not much for photos today; it was mostly a day of relaxing and enjoying a much-needed shower after last night’s water system misadventure. I started my journey back north today. I’ll stay tonight in San Carlos de Bariloche, on the eastern edge of the Andes.
Today I took a tour west from El Calafate to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, home to the Perito Moreno glacier.
This morning I strolled around La Recoleta Cemetery, near where we are staying. Our time in Buenos Aires was much too short, but such are the choices made in an ambitious trip such as this.
Looking across the river this morning, we could see on the horizon the skyscrapers of Buenos Aires. Such a difference from the sleepy historic town that is Colonia. We’ll be crossing over in a few hours …
And now for something completely different!
We’ve spent the last few days driving around and exploring various parts of rural Uruguay before winding up in the coastal resort community of Punta del Este.
Iguazú Falls was amazing. Today, we’ve moved on to Montevideo, Uruguay. We’ll be in Uruguay for the next five days.
Wow isn’t enough for this place. The name Iguazú (or, in Portuguese, Iguaçu) is adapted from an indigenous name meaning “big water.” That still isn’t enough to describe it. The important thing to understand when looking at each of the photos I’m showing here is that they each represent a small portion of the falls.
Today, we left Rio and took a short flight to the national parks that surround Iguazú Falls on the border between Argentina and Brazil.
No visit to Rio is complete without a visit to the iconic statue; wouldn’t you agree?
This morning I bid farewell to the convent/hotel where I was staying. Such a lovely hotel. Amazingly well renovated.
Today, I took a bus tour up to Praia do Forte, a tourist beach village about 80 km / 50 miles east of Salvador.
Today I took a brief driving and walking tour around Salvador.
Today I have arrived in Salvador, Brazil, where I will spend the next three days. I am absolutely thrilled with this last-minute historic hotel find in Salvador.
A delightful breakfast here at Hotel Santa Teresa and then it’s off to a new location in Rio. This was a great place to crash and rest up from the rigors of travel. On to the next place!
So it turns out that just showing up in Brazil without a rock solid-plan for what you are going to do and where you’re going to stay is … not great.
First impressions, while I enjoy lunch …
Rio is a study in contrasts. It wears its slums out on its sleeve. There is no escaping that part of the city as you are driven to wherever it is you’re going.
I have two hours in Atlanta and then south, south, south!
As part of an Adobe team event, I and many of my team mates were able to spend a day at Safari West where we had the chance to be up close and personal with many animals not typically seen in North America.
We’ve been in the Dominican Republic for the past week, mostly enjoying the sun and the resort where we’re staying.
The schedule: Two different sets of meetings at company headquarters in San Jose with a long weekend in between. I’ve long been curious about Salt Lake City, so I drove there for the weekend.
I’m in Las Vegas for a few days for a conference. I had a day off so I got my kicks on Route 66 today.
Some family friends are visiting and we’re spending a bit of time on the northern Oregon coast with them. While going out for walks on a cloudy day on the beach, I found a few textures I enjoyed.
I could never live in a desert, but I do very much enjoy the peace and quiet that comes from driving through desert.
… and today brings me home. Mostly freeway miles, but the side trip through Harrington and Odessa on SR 28 was well worth it.
Today I explored the Columbia and Spokane River valleys on the way to Spokane. It was gray and snowy pretty much everywhere I went today, but that’s what I was looking for.
I had fun driving today, mostly looking for winter farm scenes in the high plains east of Wenatchee, before winding up in Omak for the night.
We hiked the Northrup Canyon Trail in eastern Washington today. Here are a few of the fun desert- and cliff-scapes we observed.
Today I went back into Yellowstone where I got stalled for a bit by a herd of bison in the road.
The idea was to drive from Red Lodge to West Yellowstone. Mission accomplished, but maybe not quite the way that was originally planned.
On this day, I trekked west across the rolling hills of South Dakota, Montana, and a small sliver of Wyoming.
So the plan was to follow US Highway 212 as far west as I could. On this first day, this led me through the sweeping plains of western Minnesota and eventually to the sleepy town of Redfield, South Dakota.
Hello, all! We’ve been back in Minnesota for a bit as our family spends some quality time with a close friend in a tough spot.
On this last day of the workshop, we returned to Amsterdam.
On this day, we toured the coastal communities of Katwijk and Haarlem and the ventured up to see the windmills at Zaansche Schans.
We spent the last two mornings at the famous Keukenhof Gardens, where Holland’s tulip growers gather to share their latest bulbs.
Today was the first day of a week-long photo tour of Amsterdam and the tulip gardens near Leiden. We took a walkabout through the city of Amsterdam today; tomorrow, weather permitting, we’ll be shooting tulips at the Keukenhof gardens. Stay tuned. Should be a great week on the photoblog!
I drove down to the Bay Area for a work trip this week. Here are a few scenes from the way there and back.
I decided to take this weekend and drive to winter (i.e. that part of Washington that actually gets snow in winter).
After a week in New York City for business, I made some time to go exploring Long Island.
Over the last two weeks, I’ve been introduced to a whole new world – the country that we (the United States) invaded in the 1980s. To visit Nicaragua in the post-war world is a surreal experience. So much has changed in the years since … and yet, our presence there can not be forgotten.
I made a friend from the Mac software development community recently and he had a wild idea: “Why don’t you come visit me for a while?”
I’m so excited to finally visit Hawaii. One more and I’ll have visited all fifty states!
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