2017 On the Road

This year was good for travel. 
 
In January, I braved the snow, winds and very cold temperatures to make a return trip to Yellowstone National Park. The focus was on photography. We saw otters at play on a frozen river, bald eagles perched high in a tree, bison, elk, a red fox, coyotes and enjoyed the rare sighting of a bobcat hunting geese on a river. Sadly, although we spotted some wolf tracks in the snow, we didn't see a wolf.



February marked my first trip to Cuba, another photography outing. It was a wonderful experience and a welcome relief from cold weather. We spent time in Havana and in

Classic American cars are common throughout Cuba

Trinidad, where travelers were assigned to stay in privately owned homes. My hostesses were an adult woman and her mother. They don't speak English, and I don't speak Spanish, but somehow we were able to communicate. Despite the differences between our governments, the Cuban people are warm and friendly. Cuba is definitely a place I would return to. 




 
I missed a photo safari to Tanzania in April due to issues with my vision that required surgery on both eyes. I have signed up for this trip in 2018

The American military cemetery at Omaha Beach, France

I made my first trip to France in May, hiking in Normandy and Brittany, then spending a couple of days in Paris. It was extremely moving to visit Omaha Beach, where the main D-Day landing took place on June 6, 1944. I also saw Utah Beach, where my father's destroyer was sunk in the early hours of the invasion. From there we visited the American military cemetery high on a bluff overlooking the ocean. France donated the land for the cemetery, where some 9,387 American servicemen were laid to rest. It was a very emotional visit.

 

Black rhinoceros

The highlight of my travels this year was a three-week journey to Kenya. I was joined by friends from Scotland and England whom I met in Kenya last year. The animal sightings and photography opportunities were the best of all my five trips to Africa. We stayed in four different camps, each offering a unique experience. I also got to visit one of the orphaned elephants I sponsor at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi. And while at the final camp, I was able to meet the Kenyan student whose high school education I am sponsoring.

 
My trip to Germany and Poland for a service project at Auschwitz was cut short due to yet another eye problem that required me to fly home for emergency surgery. I won't know until next summer what the vision will be like in that eye.

Fisher Towers

Utah was the setting for a photography trip to Arches and Canyonlands national parks. I love the austere beauty of the American West, and spending time photographing it with two instructors and like-minded photographers was a treat.

 




My second trip to Africa in 2017 took me to the northern African country of Morocco, a country that is far removed, both geographically and culturally, from the south African countries I have previously visited. The highlight of this trip was a sunset camel ride, followed by a night in a tent in the Sahara desert. Morocco is a progressive country with an ancient history and warm, friendly people. As a former French colony, French is spoken as much as Arabic, along with numerous tribal languages such as Berber.

The year's travel itinerary wrapped up with a short trip to Palm Springs, California, for a hiking trip that included a long hike in Joshua Tree National Park. I was pleased to see that I was able to do 10-1/2 miles of hiking one day. I was very tired and a bit sore the next day, but I survived to hike again!

I have put together a full travel schedule for 2018, including to several places I haven't yet visited. See you on the road!