Birding Trip to Oklahoma, Texas, and Arizona; April 2013

Liz and I took a 3-week road trip out to Oklahoma and Texas visiting family and doing some wonderful birding.

We headed east to northwest Oklahoma and attended the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Festival. We saw the prairie-chickens, then looped south into Texas and came home via southern Arizona.

We saw six life-birds along the way, visited four sets of relatives, camped in some scenic places, made some new friends, and generally had a grand time.

Annual Newsletter to Friends and Family; December 2012.

An annual review of our year and seasons greeting to friends and family.

Tanzania, East Africa; July 07 to August 01, 2012.

I spent most of July with my sister on a world-class adventure to East Africa. We spent most of our time in rural northern Tanzania. This was Safari Country, and I got to spend one grand day in Tarangire National Park watching lions, elephants, giraffes, and so many birds that I couldn't stand it any longer. We also spent a few days in Dar es Salaam on the southeast coast of the country.

Photo at left: bird watching with the locals in the mountains above Mbulu.

Transit of Venus; June 5, 2012.

Every now and then, something happens in the solar system that makes one pause, take a moment, gaze skyward, and think for a minute about our position in the cosmos.

Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge; May 20-21, 2012.

During the afternoon of May 20, 2012, Liz and I headed north to Pahranagat NWR to be within the zone of 100% eclipse. In southern Nevada, the zone extended from about Coyote Springs northward (map), so driving to Pahranagat and camping there made for a nice overnight adventure.

We arrived about 1630 hrs and set up in the last available campsite -- it turns out our idea was not unique. By eclipse time, two other parties crowded into our site and there were dozens of vehicles parked along the lake. Our new friends had solar glasses, so we were able to watch and photograph the actual eclipse, which started about 1730 hrs, peaked about 1830 hrs, and was finished by 1930 hrs. Fortunately for us, everyone left, so we had a quiet, peaceful night together.

Sequoia National Park, California; May 2012.

During mid-May, Liz and I went to Sequoia National Park for a week of camping, hiking, and birdwatching. The trip was a stroll down memory lane for us, as we had worked there during the five summers of 1982-1986 as Seasonal Park Rangers. It was nice to be back, and we were proud to have done our part in protecting this wonderful place.

After some 25 years, some things were the same, some things were different. The trees, meadows, and birds were still here. One of the main differences, however, was the bears. Before, bears were a constant source of irritation, property damage, and incident reports. This time, we saw lots of bears in the woods doing what bears do naturally: grazing in meadows, nursing young, and of course, pooping in the woods.

Birding Southeastern Arizona; April-May 2012.

Liz and I took a relaxing trip to Southeastern Arizona, stopping with friends and visiting some of our favorite places along the way. We had no definite schedule and ended up spending 12 days away from home. The birding was good, as expected, and we picked up three lifebirds and a few new human friends.

Heading Home from Florida; March 2012.

Beginning March 2 and continuing, I'm heading home from Florida bringing my mother to Las Vegas. We are taking the slow road home along the Gulf of Mexico to Texas, then will pick up the pace.

Fall Trip to Oregon; November 2011.

During November, I took three weeks and traveled to Oregon to visit Family. I hoped to make it a big birding trip, so I birded a few local spots and some northern Nevada sites on the way north, but snowstorms put an end to that. I arrived at Silver Falls State Park at the end of the third day. My mother volunteers and lives in the park for 10 weeks every fall, so I stayed and visited with her for 8 nights. I then went farther north to Portland and stayed with my dad for 5 nights. Catching a break in the storms, I blasted home, spending one night on the road.

Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands; October 2011.

We joined a UNLV Continuing Education trip and went to Ecuador in a party of 15 for 10 days. We arrived in Quito (capital of Ecuador) and spent two nights in an eco-lodge in the Andes Mountains. We then flew some 600 miles off shore and stayed at the Galapagos for 5 busy days and 4 nights on a yacht. Returning to the mainland, we spent 3 more nights in eco-lodges.

The experience was wonderful, the scenery grand, and the birds unbelievable.

Portland and Metolius River Backpack; August 2011.

At the end of August, Liz and I took 8 days and flew to Portland for a few days of visiting family and three days of backpacking with my brother and his family along the Metolius River. The hike was fun and the three kids had a great time. A large, nearby wildfire added smoke and a bit of wilderness uncertainty to the trip. We had time to spend a few days with Dad and Joe before and after the hike.

Road Trip to Colorado; July 2011.

During summer, we took two weeks and traveled to Colorado to visit Liz's brother and his wife at their family cabin. We had a nice time visiting with them in a scenic and relaxing situation, and learned a bit about southern Colorado. During the trip, we camped at Navajo National Monument, Great Sand Dunes National Park (very cool bugs!), Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, and several US Forest Service areas.

Chronicle of recovery from the bite of a Texas Coral Snake; 2010-2011.

Here, only four minutes after the bite, we are heading for the car and I know I'm in big trouble. This page follows my treatment and recovery.

Thanksgiving in Texas; 2010.

Liz and I headed to Austin, Texas, for Thanksgiving with my siblings. We stopped in New Mexico to visit Liz's brother along the way. On the way home, we birded the Texas coast, Big Bend National Park, and southeastern Arizona. The trip suffered one major disruption when I picked up the wrong snake.

Around the Bend Friends Hiking Club slideshows. I used these powerpoint slides to accompany my 10-minute monthly talks.

Natural History of the Mojave Desert #1-4: Wandering about the Mojave Desert

Natural History of the Mojave Desert #5: The concept of life zones

Backpacking Coyote Gulch; June 29 to July 4, 2010.

Backpacking with the Sierra Club in Coyote Gulch, Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument and Glenn Canyon National Recreation Area. A dozen of us headed for the canyons of the Escalante to bask in the glory of red sandstone chasms, listen to the spring serenade of birds and toads, and skip through fish-filled sandy steams.

Unidentified Scat; April 2009.

This is a real question: Can you identify this specimen?

Death Valley National Park; February 2009.

A Week of Day Hikes.

Southern Arizona; February 2009.

Birding the Early Spring.

Great Local Business Goes Bad when Long-time Manger Retires; 2008.

Save your money, prevent stress and headaches, don't do business with Ted Wiens Firestone!

The Perfect Seasonal Job Goes Bad; Spring 2006.

The Perfect Seasonal Job Goes Bad when I refused to commit scientific fraud. Although this low-paying, seasonal job didn't work out, it played a pivotal role in my life by giving me incentive (a fun job) to finally leave my miserable but high-paying corporate job on the Yucca Mountain Project. If life remains good, I will never again work in a corporate cubicle.