I am a resident of the beautiful state of Arizona in the great American Southwest. Before that I lived in the Great Lakes and Deep South regions of the U.S.
Ever since I was a kid, I have enjoyed traveling to many places to enjoy the great outdoors. Throughout my life, this has become a journey to explore the world, experience other cultures, understand my fellow man and appreciate the beauty of this planet. My favorite destination I have visited is Antarctica, but east Africa and Chile also rank high on my list. I enjoy shooting video and taking photos at all places I visit.
My professional work is in communications. However, I am always dreaming of that next destination.
Monday – July 6, 2009 – After our flight left LAX on Saturday night, we had to fly for 15 hours to Sydney. Our Delta flight was nice. We noticed that as Delta started to invest more heavily in international flights, their service was markedly better on their international […]
Saturday – July 4, 2009 – What kind of Americans are we? It’s the Fourth of July and we are leaving the country without celebrating the Fourth! This afternoon, Mom and Dad drove Jeff and me to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Jeff and I had lunch at […]
Saturday – February 14, 2009 – Mom and I had decided to take a short trip to northern California to watch the Tour of California cycling race and go to Lake Tahoe. We flew from Birmingham to Sacramento arriving this afternoon. The prologue stage was a short time […]
Watch some rough video from Brazil as I explore Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon and Foz do Iguaçu.
Saturday – November 29, 2008 – We woke up in Iguazu for the last time and ate breakfast before checking out of the hotel. We hated to leave, but all good trips must eventually come to an end. Jeff and I went down to the souvenir shops of […]
Friday – November 28, 2008 – Today was going to be another amazing adventure. We had a full-day pass arranged for a tour of the Argentina side. We purchased the Iguazú Jungle Explorer for $100. It combined the Ecological Tour (Paseo Ecológico), scenic float and adventure boat ride […]
Thursday – November 27, 2008 – In the early morning hours, our TAM flight landed in Foz do Iguaçu around 1:45 a.m. Jeff and I collected our luggage and looked for our pre-booked transfer. Our driver, Marco, was Paraguayan and took us to his car. We loaded up […]
Wednesday – November 26, 2008 – This morning we reluctantly had to say goodbye to the Amazon. After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel. We said goodbye to Alan and gave him his tip. He remarked earlier in the trip that he liked my lightweight and water […]
Tuesday – November 25, 2008 – This morning after our Brazilian continental breakfast, we had the morning free. Jeff and I decided to explore the several miles of boardwalks. One scientific platform high above us (many platforms above us) offered a great view above the canopy. Since we […]
Monday – November 24, 2008 – Last night was an amazing experience sleeping in a tree house inside the Amazon canopy! My brother and I slept well and woke up refreshed. Before walking down to the dining room at the Ariau Towers for breakfast, we explored the resort […]
Sunday – November 23, 2008 – This morning my brother and I woke up early in Ipanema for our transfer to Rio de Janeiro’s Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport. Our transfer picked us up bright and early at 3:45 a.m.! Upon arrival at the airport, we checked in […]
Saturday – November 22, 2008 – It doesn’t matter if the weather is bad in Rio de Janeiro. There is always something entertaining to do in this vibrant city. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate this morning for the hang gliding. We were scheduled to hang glide from 1,700 […]
Friday – November 21, 2008 – It’s impossible not to wake up excited about the day in Rio de Janeiro. There’s a reason they call this “A Cidade Maravilhosa” – the Marvelous City! After waking up, Jeff and I headed downstairs for our complimentary Brazilian breakfast. We had a tour […]
Thursday – November 20, 2008 – After falling asleep over Suriname last night, I woke up this morning over south central Brazil. I slept about five hours on my Delta flight before breakfast time. After a Brazilian breakfast, Jeff and I filled out our immigration cards and suddenly […]
Wednesday – November 19, 2008 – After missing Christmas last year to travel to South America for the first time, this year Jeff and I decided to travel back to South America, but this time during Thanksgiving. This trip we had to have visas for the first time […]
Sunday – October 26, 2008 – After an enjoyable Saturday football victory over Tennessee and strolling the streets of Gatlinburg the previous evening, Dad and I woke up feeling great We learned the bear warning sign on our dumpster outside was no joke. A bear had been through our […]
Saturday – October 25, 2008 – This morning Dad and I woke up excited about watching Alabama football. We slept well at our cabin, the Stargazer, overlooking Gatlinburg. Before heading to the game, we first drove up to the Ober Gatlinburg resort to look around. The leaves were truly […]
Friday – October 24, 2008 – It’s fall and that means football in the Deep South. I reckon instead of calling the South the Bible Belt, they should call it the College Football Belt because football is THE religion in these parts. And this wasn’t just any weekend: […]
Monday – May 19, 2008 – After yesterday’s lronman race, I slept well. I was sore this morning, but I felt pretty good. After eating some breakfast, we drove to Walt Disney World and decided to tour part of the Magic Kingdom. I hadn’t been to Disney World […]
Sunday – May 18, 2008 – When I woke up this morning, I felt like a walking zombie, but I knew I had to race. I only slept a few hours because of nerves, but I had trained for years to get to the Ironman series races, so […]
Saturday – May 17, 2008 – Last night after work, I flew to Orlando on Southwest. Mom and Dad picked me up at the Orlando airport and to our cabin at Fort Wilderness in Walt Disney World. I slept pretty well and I woke up excited about competing in […]
Watch some rough video from Chile and Argentina as we explore Patagonia, the Beagle Channel, Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares.
Saturday – December 29, 2007 – Sadly, today was our last day during our first visit to South America. Chile is such a beautiful country with the warmest and friendliest people. We wanted to make our last day count by seeing as much as possible before our flight […]
Friday – December 28, 2007 – The next morning after breakfast, we said goodbye to Celia as we checked out of the Patagonia Rebelde. Our transfer arrived and drove us and a few passengers already inside to El Calafate’s nearby airport. After checking in and paying our departures […]
Thursday – December 27, 2007 – In the morning we grabbed breakfast and refreshments in the lobby, which also had a cozy lounge and library. Shortly afterwards, our bus tour picked us up for our tour to Lago Argentino. El Calafate is located near the southern shore of […]
Wednesday – December 26, 2007 – Instead of doing another hike today, Jeff and I decided to take it easy. We both came down with a little bit of a cold and I think all of the trekking finally caught up with us. After sleeping late, we read […]
Tuesday – December 25, 2007 – After hot showers and an incredible “Norwegian-Argentinean” smorgasbord for breakfast, Mr. Halvorsen drove us to El Chalten where Jeff and I would begin a great day of hiking. There on the edge of the city down the main street, we began our […]
Monday – December 24, 2007 – Today was Christmas Eve and we were heading back to Argentina! We waited on our 8:30 a.m. Turismo Zaahj bus at the bus station down the street in Puerto Natales, Chile. We presented our tickets that we bought at the station. Shortly […]
Sunday – December 23, 2007 – On Sunday morning, we awoke fairly early so we could get a nice start to the day. We had hot showers in the refugio – I could get used to this style of “camping” in the future, before enjoying our delicious breakfast […]
Saturday – December 22, 2007 – After waking up, we packed up our things before heading to the refugio for hot showers. Then we went back to the refugio for a breakfast of eggs, ham and bacon. What a great way to start the day in the Chilean […]
Friday – December 21, 2007 – This morning as I woke up and opened the tent door, I was astounded to see Paine Grande towering above us as it peeked through fast moving clouds. This was going to be a great day! After hot showers and a Chilean […]
Thursday – December 20, 2007 – This morning we woke up at the Hotel Charles Darwin in Puerto Natales to catch our microbus to Torres del Paine. Because the bus schedule is very limited, we had no room for error. Thankfully we found the stop Buses JB down […]
Wednesday – December 19, 2007 – This morning in Ushuaia we had breakfast before going out for a morning tour of the surrounding mountains. We took a taxi up to the ski resort of Centro de Montana Glaciar Martial. We took the aerosilla, the chairlifts, up to the […]
Tuesday – December 18, 2007 – The next morning we had an Argentinean-style continental breakfast at our hotel before heading down to the port. Their we saw a Russian expedition ship being prepared for its voyage to Antarctica. Her name was the Akademik Sergei Vavilov, and she looked […]
Monday – December 17, 2007 – We skipped breakfast for a long good sleep. We then checked out of the hotel around 8 a.m. and took a taxi to the Recoleta cemetery with our big backpacks. It is considered one of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries and is […]
Sunday – December 16, 2007 – After about five and a half hours of sleep, I woke up for breakfast over the Gran Chaco of northern Argentina. The semi-arid lowland is a beautiful part of the Río de la Plata basin, and spreads out across eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, […]
Saturday, December 15, 2007 – It has been almost a year and half since my last big vacation. It felt even longer because during much of that time, I was working two jobs. During the last half of the year, I moved to one full-time job and my […]
Thursday, August 24, 2006 – We slept late today just because we could! Dad and I went to the pool one last time before we checked out of our hotel in Lahaina. We went shopping and had lunch at Whaler’s Village, before we stopped to buy some unique postcards to […]
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 – Today was our last full day in Hawaii. This morning, I had a reservations to learn something I have always wanted to try: surfing! And what better place to learn than Hawaii? From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., I took lessons at the […]
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 – We woke up at the ResortQuest Papakea and decided to do whatever we wanted during the morning. After all, we are on vacation at the beach in Maui! I went to the beach and snorkeled for a while. After lunch, Dad, Mom and […]
Monday, August 21, 2006 – After the long trip from eastern Maui on Sunday, we decided to have a relaxing day at the ResortQuest Papakea. Dad and I enjoyed the beach in the morning and snorkeled for a while. We came back to the condo for sandwiches. That […]
Sunday, August 20, 2006 – We checked out of our hotel this morning and decided to drive around the southeast tip of the island. In the past, this road was washed out and not paved in a few sections. Rental cars strongly discouraged tourists from taking it. This […]
Saturday, August 19, 2006 – This morning, we all had flights to catch from the airport at 12:30 p.m. Jeff had to take a flight to Honolulu, where he would leave for Atlanta on Sunday. Mom, Dad and I had a flight to Kahului, Maui on Aloha Airlines. […]
Friday, August 18, 2006 – Today was our last full day on the Big Island. We enjoyed another low-key day by heading to the Kings Shops in Waikoloa to look around. We ate the food court where I had some unusual Hawaiian pork barbecue sandwich at Subway. For […]
Thursday, August 17, 2006 – Today we decided to have a free day. I went out to our beach on the Kona Coast to lay in a hammock between two coconut trees for a while. Then, I lounged on the beach for a little tan. Afterwards, Jeff and […]
Wednesday, August 16, 2006 – This morning we decided to head up to the north side of the Big Island. We were about to do something really special: kayak through old irrigation ditches! It’s not really as bizarre as it sounds. Our adventure with Kohala Ditch Adventures was called […]
Tuesday, August 15, 2006 – This morning we began our first full day of this trip to Hawaii. We slept late before driving a little north to Kawaihae harbor for brunch at Café Pesto. Then we drove Highway 19 over to the other side of the Island. Along […]
Monday, August 14, 2006 – Sometimes there is nothing like a vacation to celebrate a key milestone and close out a transitional period in life. The previous Friday I finished my final exams and Dad came to the University of Alabama to help me move the big things […]
Friday, May 19, 2006 – Today was our last full day in northern California. We first visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which I have to say, is the best aquarium I have ever visited. Monterey was the capital of Alta California under both Spain and Mexico. Then we […]
Thursday, May 18, 2006 – We have had another fantastic trip to San Francisco. However, today it’s time to enjoy the beauty of the Pacific coast. Or to quote the song, “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers: “it’s the edge of the world and all of Western […]
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