environment Archives

Meet Friends at Black Canyon in CO

July 19, 2026July 5, 2026Posted in Animals, blogging, environment, history, Travel, wildlife, writingTagged environment, NAtional PArk, Nature, travel, wildlife3 Comments

Black Canyon at Gunnison National Park is a place I never visited. So when east coast friends mentioned visiting this Colorado national park, I thought well why not meet them there! Wow, that was a good decision!

We drove the south rim road at this national park after a stop at the visitor center which survived a 2025 wildfire here. From the rim’s vista points, it is easy to understand why this park is called the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Looking down the sheer, black canyon walls at nearly 2 billion year old rock, you will eventually see a river 1800 feet below! The walls are massive and it is amazing to realize the river had cut through the uplift’s core of rock a couple of million years ago.

While still on the south rim road, we saw three big horn sheep walk from the rim, across the road to another location.

We also drove the east portal road. There we read signage about the Gunnison Tunnel and diversion dam built between 1905 and 1909. Want to know about a major engineering project, I encourage you to read its history! We walked the road paralleling the Gunnison River which dead ends at Crystal Dam. Looking up on the massive rock walls was truly a different perspective!

Also notice the hazy sky from wildfire smoke coming from Utah, many miles away.

Plenty of birds were happy in this area.

Protect Native Wildlife

July 16, 2026July 5, 2026Posted in Animals, blogging, environment, wildlifeTagged Arizona, environment, Nature, travel, wildlifeLeave a comment

When we visit a park our expectation is to see native plants and animals there. Yet sometimes a non-native seed flies in, successfully grows to a point where park officials notice and yank those plants out by their roots! Non-native animals are more difficult to control. The animal may walk through one day or another and not be noticed. It may take having larger numbers at the park to ever be noticed. But then where should traps be set for these non-native animals to be relocated outside of the park? Or if it is breeding season, can park officials capture them all and truly relocate all the non-native animals? It would be a huge challenge and this is why we need to be sure to do our part in not creating a problem.

Have you noticed this park sign at a park near you? Or maybe a different sign with other wildlife listed.

A non-native plant or animal is invasive capable of causing issues for native species. The native species could be out-competed, presented with diseases and/or preyed upon. Therefore, we must do our part and not bring other wildlife into a park. An ecological balance exists within the park needing no disruption from an outside influence, thus the park’s signage. It is an important message.

Please understand the importance of a park’s message with their sign. There are agencies to help you relocate any wildlife you may not want near your home. Do not dump them at your local park; help the native wildlife at the park!

AZ’s Picture Canyon & Memories

July 12, 2026July 5, 2026Posted in blogging, environment, history, wildlife, writingTagged Arizona, environment, history, Nature, travel, wildlifeLeave a comment

Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve in Flagstaff is a favorite hiking place. It is an urban park where the Northern Sinagua people had settled centuries ago and we still see hundreds of their rock carvings throughout the park.

While hiking the Tom Moody Trail, we passed a waterfall, rock carvings and a connector path to the Arizona Trail. On a recent hike, I noticed a plaque on a rock. I learned of the death of a guy I knew from bicycling in this area of Arizona: Jack Welch.

For me, Jack was the organizer for local mountain bike rides. We loved those rides! He knew the trails and the geology. I remember another time stopping at lava tubes in the area. Now I discover while reading the plaque, he was an advocate protecting this natural area and the 1,000 year old petroglyphs.

I am thankful for individuals who love nature and help to protect it. This preserve’s wildlife benefits as we do too. Here we can hike, cycle, bird watch, see history, enjoy this protected natural area and remember a fellow cyclist.

Hike when you are in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Love Bird Behavior…Don’t Mess With My Food!

July 5, 2026July 4, 2026Posted in Animals, Birds, blogging, environment, wildlifeTagged birding, birds, blogging, environment, Nature, travel, wildlifeLeave a comment

When I was a 7th grade science teacher, an activity for my students was to create a beak for a bird to dig, grab and eat the bird’s food. Dependent on the student’s research of what food the bird eats would determine the shape of the bird’s beak. Then their challenge of creating the beak and only allowed to use two of their fingers to move their created beak. Really interesting creations were made and some truly worked in picking up “food”.

Often I think of this science activity as I observe birds working to find food in the natural environment. Every so often I also see other birds try to “steal” another bird’s food. While walking along the “north trail” at Imperial Beach, CA, I did see one gull try to get another gull’s food. I suspect this happens often, yet here was my opportunity to observe the action.

Here is a western gull with food in its beak and then another gull moving closer to the gull with food.

Gull moved a bit too close to the Western gull.

I watched this activity between the birds for a couple of minutes and the gull with the food was having none of this annoyance from the other gull! Do not mess with my food!

For the Birds in the Balkans

May 28, 2026May 8, 2026Posted in Artwork, Birds, blogging, environment, Travel, wildlife, writingTagged birding, birds, environment, Nature, travel, wildlife2 Comments

Before my trip, I used colored markers and tried to be aware of some birds I may hear and/or see on my trip. Above is one possible bird.

My travel through the Balkan countries: Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia was not a “birding trip”. However, I cannot help but notice when birds are or are not around. Then if I have some time I like to read about the bird and sketch it. I only used pencil to keep my backpack light in weight on this trip.

Of course, if it is a new bird for my life list, that is very exciting. But what I also noticed, is if I think I know the bird and work to identify it, the bird may be a totally different name and a new bird for me, such as the shag you’ll see in a sketch below. Surprisingly I knew house sparrows are all over the world. In Albania though, it got listed as a new bird in my life list. Had I never listed that bird before? Wow, I guess not!

Eight new birds in Albania, seven in Croatia and three in Bosnia-Herzegovina. No new birds in Montenegro and Slovenia since the birds there were already seen in a previous country.

Here are some quick sketches. Nothing is to scale!

Will I see new birds in Italy and Greece? Time will tell!

Istrian Peninsula: Part 1 of 4: Poreč, Croatia

May 24, 2026May 6, 2026Posted in adventure travel, blogging, environment, history, Travel, writingTagged family prosciutteria, Istrian Peninsula, PorecLeave a comment

On a tip of the Istrian Peninsula you’ll find the town of Poreč where we stay 5 nights and visit different areas from this point. The luxury of 5 nights in one location! Love it; unpacking and stay!

As we traveled from Ljubljana, Slovenia to here, past road construction and traffic, olive trees, vineyards and countryside, we stopped at a small, family prosciutteria. It was fascinating to learn about the male pig’s hind legs being prepared and cured, plus the use of a horse’s fibula to check the meat. With the expertise of our host at this family, she can smell the fibula that is inserted and pulled out from the aged leg to know if it is a good product or not. This family ages their pork naturally with windows opened and closed as they determine the specific temperature, wind, and humidity needed in the rooms where the meat hangs. Industrial places using modern technology and air conditioning is different than their process.

We walked in a nearby hill town, Stanjel, Croatia. I really loved the gardens and views from here.

Interestingly, while we waited for our ride, I noticed this electric charging station, actually it is for 6 e-bikes. There are many bicyclists and with the hills in this country I am not surprised that many are e-bikes. How fantastic to have a charging station for them!

Charging station for e-bikes. It extends for 6 bikes.

Dinner and a walk to enjoy the sunset.

Perfect ending to this day. See you tomorrow!

Lake Bled, Slovenia and More

May 21, 2026May 5, 2026Posted in blogging, environment, history, Travel, writingTagged environment, history, Nature, travel, wildlifeLeave a comment

The water in Lake Bled at this time of year is simply beautiful. Here it is…

We drove from Ljubljana to Lake Bled through green countryside to arrive at this scenic spot. High above the lake, clinging to the rocky cliff, is an 800 year old castle which we visited.

In the middle of the lake is a 17th century church which we rode a pletna to get to it. A pletna is a boat similar to a gondola.

We had fantastic weather for this day trip as we climbed the steps to these locations and learned about this area’s history. We returned to Ljubljana by way of Radovljica for lunch and a walk through the town.

Back at Ljubljana we also had a snack … one that went to space! You may know the info about NASA astronaut, Sunita Williams, celebrating her heritage by bringing a traditional Carniolan sausage, kranjska klobasa, to the International Space Station in 2006. (Info is specifically on the sign.)

Yes, I got a chance to taste this sausage! It was delicious with a touch of mustard. Others added horse radish.

Or eat it with no condiment; the sausage is delicious!

The next day we cruised on Ljubljanica River, I visited with my Slovenian friend who I met in Naples, Italy a couple of years ago, and my fellow travelers and I had our farewell dinner. A few of us will now continue with a new guide for 5 nights as we explore the Istria area of Croatia and sleep in Poreč. I’ll be back in a few days. Look at this food in the photos below… so tasty!

My friend and I shared this cibanica… it has 4 layers: poppy seeds, curd cheese, walnuts and apples separated by filo (phyllo) dough. Light and delicious and was served warm.

We shared this also -jabolčna pita which is apple pie… yum!

Green Slovenia!

May 20, 2026May 5, 2026Posted in adventure travel, blogging, environment, Travel, wildlife, writingTagged Ecuador, environment, international travel, Nature, travelLeave a comment

While we drove toward Postojna Cave in Slovenia, I thought I was in upstate New York! The rolling hillsides with varied shades of green remind me of upstate NY’s countryside. But in the distance the treeless, sharp-edged 8K to 9,000 foot rock of the Julian Alps is seen and I realize I am in Slovenia!

Postojna Cave is a must see! I have been in many caves and this one is huge and beautiful in its own way. It is the only one I have ever entered by railway. The small railcar takes you on a 15 minute, 3.7km ride through the cave; duck your head if you are tall person! Then you walk 1.2km through the cave looking at a variety of cave formations. There is an audio guide that explains the karst formations you are looking at which is very helpful. This cave is huge and all I could wonder about is who discovered this and what a find!!

At the start of rail car ride… soon to enter cave. Staff are very well organized at this popular site. It is not a UNESCO site, but a nearby one of 4 other caves is. This cave may be a future UNESCO site.

Plus in the cave, there is a sightless, whitish with red tufts amphibian only found here called an olm. They can go without food for 10 years, live for 100 years and is the largest animal in the cave. Legends abound about this “baby dragon”. They had a few in an aquarium while we were in the cave so we could see them. However, no photos could be taken to protect them. This photo is of a video display the info board provided.

An olm is a cave salamander about 8-12 inches long.

No photos really capture the cave, but here are some. I’ll continue with Slovenia tomorrow.

Best to visit!

Hike at Plitvice Lakes

May 16, 2026April 30, 2026Posted in bicycling, blogging, environment, history, Plants, Travel, writingTagged bicycling, blogging, environment, hiking, national parks, Nature, travel, wildlife4 Comments

It’s a couple of hours drive from Zagreb to this UNESCO World Heritage Site, Plitvice Lakes. We stopped at a small town where waterfalls were running under people’s homes! I spent some time talking with a bicyclist. He had a fully loaded bike. It is his first adventure. He is German and started in Germany with hopes to cycle through the Balkan countries and finish in Turkey in two months.

Waterfall under a home in this small town.

Bicyclist stopping for lunch at this small town. There are no bike lanes on the road to the national park, Plitvice Lakes.

I had seen a Rick Steves program about the 16 turquoise lakes linked by waterfalls which Plitvice Lakes is known for. On our day hike we only saw 4 of the lakes and the “Big Waterfall”. Plenty of wildflowers; I saw a trout in the water and others did see a frog. Only a few birds were heard. Despite it not being peak season, there were plenty of tourists on the paths and boardwalk. I think the photos show its beauty.

Off to another town in Croatia to make pasta! I’ll be back in a couple of days!

Zagreb, Croatia … The Capital

May 15, 2026April 29, 2026Posted in adventure travel, blogging, environment, history, Travel, writingTagged blogging, environment, history, travel2 Comments

We walked the Lower and Upper Towns in this city which now has 800,000 people and close to a million people, if you consider the outskirts. The Upper Town has the cathedral and Lower Town was merchant area. The funicular, shortest in Europe, was not operating … maybe because it was Monday? Many museums were not open on Mondays too; however, I found time to enjoy a cup of cappuccino after one museum visit. There is definitely an Austrian-Hungarian influence here. I almost feel like I am in Vienna. If I had a piece of strudel with my cappuccino I would believe I was!

I stopped in at the Museum of Naïve Art. Sort of a strange name. “Peasant artists” were called “naïve artists” at one time when collection of their work, paintings and sculptures, began in 1952. These individuals had no formal art education/instruction but their work had a recognizable style and were collected. Eventually the museum’s name changed to what it is now.

Fellow travelers said the Museum of Cartoons was very good. Also the Museum of Broken Relationships was interesting. One story I heard is a broken relationship with gluten! See, relationships of all sorts are presented. Apparently the NYTimes wrote an article about that museum and there are people sending something and their broken relationship story to this museum.

Much reconstruction is happening in the city since the March 2020 earthquake. They are still working on the cathedral’s spires. The bells survived and are safely inside the cathedral at the moment.

We took a bus out to the city’s public cemetery and walked around. It is very expensive to be buried here, plus with an annual fee. It is huge but I loved being among the trees.

Back to the city where the red umbrellas are you will find an outdoor market. Underground is the market for all foods needing refrigeration. There I saw plenty of meats and cheeses!

Walk in crosswalk, bicyclists on red path.

Tomorrow we are at Plitvice Lakes. I am looking forward to our hiking time and hopefully to see some birds!