By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Winter on the Central Coasts means fewer tourists and plentiful wildlife. Birds and marine mammals gather there in chaotic profusion from December to February. Every year, hundreds of birders flock to the sleepy fishing town of Morro Bay on California’s Central Coast to take part in the Audubon Birding Fest. The Pacific’s saltwater mixed with the freshwater of streams flowing in the largest estuary on the west coast resulting in a nutrient-rich brew for thousands of birds. The charm of the rust-colored, reed-choked estuary is... Read More

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate  Steaming temps in the inland valleys of Southern Oregon are sending smart travelers to the coast to cool off. The Redwood Hwy (199),  out of Grants Pass is a snaking road that takes you to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, the northern most redwood forest in California. It traces the rugged Smith River Corridor sheathed in towering sugar pines and deposits you in Hiouchi. Hot Tip #1: If you can snag a room at the budget Hiouchi Motel, next to the Hiouchi Café you will be in perfect position to explore the ancient redwood groves. The... Read More

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate  Every bend of the river beckons—every pool may bring better luck. Life should be like that. — Zane Grey The Rogue River is a vital artery in southwestern Oregon that flows 215 miles from Crater Lake to Gold Beach on the coast. Rainie Falls is the take out point for rafters to the 40 mile stretch of the wild and scenic corridor on the infamous Rogue. We skirted this big drop into a gaping hole, the only Class 4 rapid we encountered on the 4-day rafting adventure, by taking a side channel. We listened for the low rumble of rapids ahead... Read More

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Years ago, when I lived on the beach in a pole house on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii, we loved the wild storms that would blow through, threatening to wash us away.  The wind whipped the palms wildly and scared us to pieces. But it was magical after the storm. The water would recede. It would be calm in our lagoon that was protected by a reef, and the world would be fresh and serene. Then we would run outside to find the treasures the storm had left behind. Prizes like the glass balls used in the Japanese fishing boats to ballast their... Read More

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate After eleven years, I decided it was time to deliver the fruitcake my mother had sent me in 2009 just before she passed away. I would take it to the meadow where I had scattered her ashes.  I had kept it in my freezer (even through a severe downsizing) because I just couldn’t bear to throw it out. Her fruitcake was much too heavy for me to eat, and I didn’t want to give it to anyone. Taking it to where she rested seemed a logical thing to do. The day could not have been more gorgeous. White clouds smeared across the baby blue heavens,... Read More

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate In writing Embrace of the Wild I hope to have turned the lemons of Covid-19 into limoncello—a zesty elixir that excites and satisfies the senses. In early 2020, I returned from a whirlwind tour of Australia just in time for the Covid-19 lockdown. I was grateful to be back on U.S. soil, but in shock to see the streets of downtown Los Angeles empty.  A new world order was upon us. I had no idea how long this was to last, but I did know my travel wings were clipped and I needed to do something to save my sanity. According to many a centenarian,... Read More

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate It is hard to think good has come from the virus that has forced all of us to isolate ourselves and not be able to move freely in the world. But, there have been many beneficial outcomes for those eager to tick travel experiences off their bucket list. Airline Ticketing Changes One of the most exciting benefits is that airlines are dropping fees to make changes in your itinerary. Last year, I had to fly home from Australia a day early for personal reasons. Qantas Airlines charged me $400.00 to reschedule my flight. I felt this was punitive,... Read More

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate It’s a wrap! 2020 is coming to a close. Adventure Travel Writer, Linda Ballou, shares highlights of her year in this interview with Adam Asher and Zanne Merkel on their podcast, Wander to the Edge.   Topics in our discussion included: Why I need to be on the travel edge. What it takes to write a travel book. How to make travel writing work for you. Taking time to be in nature each day Forest Bathing and Hozho Seizing opportunities opening up in the travel world. Some of my favorite daytrips on the Coast of California My latest... Read More

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate In the words of Edward Abbey…”I am not an atheist, I am an Earthiest!” Earthiests are people who literally need to plug into the planet to recharge. Whether sitting on a rock warmed by the sun, or face planted down on the sand at the beach, standing on a mountain top arms spread with palms up to gather energy, or resting against a tree, I am gathering energy from the earth. Some people think nothing is happening when they are sitting still because their minds are too busy to feel anything. But, they are receiving nature’s... Read More

“We belong to the earth. It does not belong to us.” Aboriginal saying Since time immemorial Tubowgule, the tidal island on which the Sydney Opera House stands, has been a place of gathering for Aboriginal peoples. The clans would meet there to dance, sing, feast, and share their stories. Today that piece of land that juts out into the Sydney Harbor is called Bennelong Point. On my tour of Australia, I noticed Bennelong’s name popping up everywhere making me curious about the importance of this man. Woollarawarre Bennelong was a notable leader of the Wangal, a clan of the Eora people... Read More