TUCSON, LAND OF HEAT, BLOOMS, EXPLORATIONS, by Larry Turner

The Warm winter and spring days are enticing for adventuring in and around The Old Pueblo, as Tucson is known. Late spring and summer days are great for adventuring, too, but your decisions on when and where to go are important....more

PADDLING GLACIER BAY, ALASKA, IN A "SEE" KAYAK, by Lee Juillerat

Glacier Bay, northwest of Sitka, Alaska: We scouted other campsites, but the moose and bear had picked well. We went back, beached our kayaks, unloaded our gear, pitched our tents and, after a quick snack, slid into our sleeping bags. If the bear or the moose returned, none of us heard them.....more

BIRDING IN COLUMBIA, by Chris Calonje and Carlos Mario Wagner

Colombia is the only South American country with borders on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The result is incredibly varied ecosystems—from rich tropical rain forests, to the cloud forests of the Andean cordilleras, to the high-altitude paramos, to the open savannas of the east and the coastal deserts of the Caribbean....more

ISLA MUJERES: The Island of Women, by Vicki Andersen

Appearing like a phantom on the horizon across the Bahia Mujeres is one of Mexico’s most popular destinations for Norte Americanos. But here, I feel a world away from the mainland’s clamor of tourists and traffic.....more

MY IMPOSSIBLE DREAM: Getting High on a 21st Century Zeppelin, by Ted Blishak

Friends and relatives reminded me, "You said you'd never fly again—so why ride in a blimp." "A dirigible," I corrected, "and it doesn't fly. It floats." A blimp is a big balloon. This dirigible has an interior structure and compartments filled with helium......more

NORWAY CRUISE, by Yvette Cardozo

The guide stands with an ax in his hands. He takes a swing at a log on the chopping block. Only, it's not a log. It's dried fish, the basis of Norway's food chain. The stuff is hard as wood. Slivers are handed around. Fish jerky. Not bad. It's not the first surprise for me here.....more