The Traveling Widower

Tag: hiking

  • Random Thoughts and More Photos

    An older man sitting in an airport lounge, holding a tablet and pondering, with a thought bubble representing a brain above his head, suggesting he is engaged in deep thought or reflection.
    I wish my arms looked like that. Maybe I can trade.

    March 29th, 2026 (thru April 2nd)

    Well, I’m finally home, and thought I’d start my trip summary – I’ll have a lot of photos and videos to add to this but it will take a few days to sort and curate the collection of images. So this will probably be posted in early April. For now, I’m just adding in a bunch of those random thoughts about the trip and life in general, that have been bouncing around in my head the past few days, and jotted them down in my journal. Most were written on the trip, sitting in the airport on the way home, or in between naps when I made it home. They are in no particular order. Here goes.

    I’m really looking forward to getting home – I love traveling, but the getting to/from the starting point for international trips is getting to be a real drag. This one should have been relatively easy, but the TSA walkout turned this into a stressful and expensive trip. I really did not want to stay in a hotel last night but had no choice. And this morning, I had to get up a Oh-Dark-Thirty to avoid the four hour delays getting through security – even then, at 7AM, there was a sea of humanity in Terminal E, but a well organized one. It only took a little over an hour to get through it all. I did like the signs TSA posted in the maze, which gave the estimated time from that point. Sort of helpful. 

    A sign displaying an estimated wait time of 15-30 minutes at an airport queue with people in line.

    I try to keep politics out of this blog (it sneaks in once in a while), but I have to ask – What the heck are all the armed ICE agents doing at the airports? There were clusters of them, all wearing body armor, all carrying sidearms, and all doing absolutely nothing other than chatting and drinking coffee. They cannot replace the TSA agents since they are not trained, and the airport staff organizes the lines. I  did see one ICE agent helping to direct people. That was it. He’ll probably be fired.  

    And while I’m into politics, here’s two more thoughts: Do any of the  leaders in Congress really think that it is a good idea to make the TSA agents suffer through this, just to make a political point? At some point, they will become tired of being political pawns and never come back to a job where they can be forced to work without pay, based on the whims of a few leaders in the government. 

    And (the last complaint), somehow money was magically found in the bloated DHS budget to pay the TSA agent salaries, and now the huge lines have disappeared in airports like Houston. Why was this not done right at the git-go, and avoid the inevitable chaos at the airports? Just saying, End of political rant.  

    This was the first trip where I’ve signed up for one of the pre or post extensions, and I’m glad I did it. I had read through the extension itinerary, and it sounded like it might be interesting, but still had no idea on what to expect. It more than exceeded my hazy expectations – it was nice to be with a small group of people and establish a few relationships before getting on the ship. That helped to avoid the bane of my existence on these trips – the first night of looking for people to sit with at lunch and dinner. Plus, it really helps to settle into trip mode before getting on the ship. I’ve already signed up for a post-extension on the Patagonia trip (plus I’m getting there early) and the same for the Sea of Cortez trip. I’m also getting in early for Kodiak and Iceland. It’s just nice to be able to recover from the long trip before the daily activities begin.

    This trip was something of a learning experience for me, on how to handle my latest body failures. I was extremely concerned about how i would handle my cardiac issues (high blood pressure, rapid heart beat/ arrhythmia) – stress is likely the main trigger for these “attacks”, and just worrying about having an attack can be a trigger. I found myself looking down at my watch all the time to check my pulse rate, and then stressed out if it was high. When my worrying finally led to a tachycardia (look it up) incident, the ship doctor basically talked me into relaxing, and that helped for the rest of the trip. I stopped checking and just focused on the activities. I even made it through the somewhat stressful trip home without any problems. 

    I had another epiphany during the trip, one I’ve realized before but keep trying to ignore. News Break: I’m not 25 years old. I’m not even 65 years old. I’m in my mid-70’s, with heart disease, a bum knee and distal neuropathy. I need to be careful on what activities I sign up for. Fortunately, I’ve already begun to favor outings that are focused more on photography than on meeting some aerobic goal for the day. Although I did manage to make it up two observation towers, and two hikes which involved a few steep sections. I also have to consider my stability now and remember to use the hiking sticks that I bring along – I might have avoided a very embarrassing and potentially dangerous trip/fall I had on the last day. But I am giving some thought now, to selecting trips that are mostly cruise based – no more land trips with lots of hiking, and multiple hotels. I have three of those scheduled in the next year (2 to Iceland, 1 to Madagascar. Kodiak is sort of in-between). I intend to stick to longer trips with Nat Geo/Lindblad or possibly Natural Habitats that are entirely cruise based going past 2027. 

    I’m definitely getting the hang of solo traveling after 6 major trips (5 with Nat Geo/Lindblad, 1 with Road Scholars) and a countless number of shorter domestic trips, but I still miss my wife all the time. It’s hard experiencing some of the most amazing places without her. And it’s difficult being alone in the midst of so many couples and families – no matter how welcome people on these trips make you feel, you still feel awkward not having a partner to share the moment with. It’s just something I have to try and deal with.

    Here’s a few observations I’ve made after 5 Nat Geo/Lindblad trips:

    1 – I’ve been on four different ships so far, and the experience has been excellent on each. The shipboard hotel services are consistently superb – all the staff, food, cabin comfort, lounges, bars are all top notch.

    2 – The National Geographic trip leads and naturalists are fantastic – most are local to the countries the trip is centered on, and are literal fountains of knowledge on the culture, history, fauna and flora. Plus, they are lots of fun to be with. I learned a lot on the trips, which is the point of these expeditions.

    3 – One of the best features of these expeditions is that the itinerary can change daily and sometimes hourly depending on the weather, ocean conditions, and sometimes on where animals have been seen. Keeps you on your toes.

    And for the fun of it, here are the highlights of this trip for me:

    Best Activity – so many choices. This was a unique trip. I’ll pick two: the VIP tour of the Miraflores lock on the Panama Canal, and the Zodiac cruise around the Monkey Islands, in the Gatun Lake. Great videos of the canal, and great photos of three species of monkeys.

    Funniest Moment – that one is easy. The cemetery/prison tour when we were attempting to get to the docks in Colon. 

    Best “But I got the Photo” Moment – getting some great shots of the Tamarin Monkeys after my finger was smashed between the boat and some trees. I’m a very dedicated photographer.

    Most Stressful Moment – trying to get past customs at the Panama City airport. I was close to pleading for mercy when they decided I must be a National Geographic photographer. Smashing my finger beween the boat and a tree was a close second.

    Biggest Surprise – how much I enjoyed the “Pre” trip, which had nothing to do with animals, and all about learning some very interesting things about Panama history, and the Panama Canal.

    Best Evening – going through the canal locks at night. It was like a party on the bow, in the rain. Passing through the narrow Culebra Cut channel would be a close second.

    OK, enough random thoughts. Many of the photos below were already included on my trip posts, but I’ve had more time to curate them on Adobe Lightroom, using the RAW formats instead of JPEG. As I continue to organize and review the files (using Lightroom Classic), I’ve found a few gems as well. As I’ve mentioned before in the blog, you can expand each photo to full size by simply clicking on them.

    A playful monkey clinging to a tree branch in a dense green forest, showcasing its curious expression and agile posture.
    A squirrel monkey perched on a tree branch surrounded by lush green leaves.
    A close-up of a capuchin monkey sitting among green leaves, with a serious expression on its face.
    A close-up of a Capuchin monkey sitting among green leaves, with a contemplative expression.
    A howler monkey perched on a branch, surrounded by green leaves and clear blue sky.
    A monkey hanging from a tree branch, surrounded by green leaves and a blue sky in the background.
    A close-up of a monkey perched on a branch, surrounded by lush green foliage, showing its side profile with distinctive facial markings.
    Close-up of a monkey perched on a branch, featuring gray fur with brown patches and expressive dark eyes.
    Two monkeys lounging on a tree branch among green leaves.
    A howler monkey sitting among green leaves, gazing intently.
    A baby monkey with a black and white face sitting on a branch, surrounded by lush green foliage.
    A colorful toucan perched on a tree branch surrounded by lush green leaves.
    A colorful bird perched on a weathered tree branch, facing downward, surrounded by lush greenery.
    A woodpecker perched on a textured tree trunk with a blurred green background.
    A standing heron with brown and white striped feathers, surrounded by rocks and green foliage.
    A brightly colored bird perched on a branch, featuring a green head, red chest, and gray wings, surrounded by lush greenery.
    A white bird perches on a branch over water, poised to catch a fish, surrounded by lush green foliage.
    A heron taking flight from a water surface surrounded by green foliage.
    A heron standing on a branch above calm water, surrounded by green foliage.
    A woodpecker perched on a tree branch against a clear blue sky, holding an insect in its beak.
    A colorful parrot eating fruit from a cluster of orange berries on a palm tree, surrounded by green leaves.
    A colorful parrot feeding on a cluster of orange fruits hanging from a palm tree.
    A colorful macaw perched on a branch, eating a green leaf, surrounded by lush green foliage.
    A black vulture standing on green grass, with a distinctive gray head and sharp beak, under a natural setting.
    Three birds flying over the ocean with a cloudy sky in the background.
    A small green butterfly resting on the edge of a large green leaf with a soft-focus background of blurred greenery.
    A close-up of a vibrant red and yellow tropical flower against a blurred green background.

    OK, I’m tired of this post but still have more photos to share, mostly from the Panama Canal. I’ll do another post – no long stories, just photos and videos.

    Peace

  • The Last Day – Magnificent Macaws

    A scenic view of a tropical beach with lush green hills in the background, clear turquoise water, and a partly cloudy sky.

    March 27th, 2026

    The last full day of these trips is always a bit chaotic – you have to pack that evening, so you really don’t want to have much in the way of wet or soggy clothing and shoes. This trip was no different and both the morning and afternoon outings involved very wet landings (possibly waste deep), potential stream crossings, and of course, hiking in hot and humid rain forests. Nothing like opening up a suitcase the next day, with wet, smelly clothing in plastic bags. 

    The ship had sailed to the Osa Peninsula overnight, and we dropped anchor off of a beautiful, private rainforest preserve. There were four options in the morning, and some of the guests with long lenses opted for the “woos” or lazy hike – just a mile or so wandering along a coast trail, looking for things to photograph. We hit it lucky almost immediately – a very photogenic Scarlet Macaw, which was intent on feeding in the palm trees, and offered us some incredible close-up photo-ops. I had been hoping to get some good shots of these birds, and I finally got some. Beautiful colors on these birds.

    A colorful parrot perched on a tall palm tree, feeding on a cluster of orange fruits.
    A vibrant scarlet macaw perched on a branch surrounded by lush green leaves.

    We then headed off along the coast trail, looking for more beasties, or good scenic views. Our guide was the Nat Geo photographer, so he was providing some useful tips along the way – one of the reasons I enjoy their trips. 

    A wooden swing hanging from a tree overlooking a sandy beach with gentle ocean waves and a ship in the distance.

    I have been doing pretty well health wise on this trip after my one panic/tachycardia attack, and had been really careful on the hikes since the trails are all covered in roots and muddy in places. My luck finally ran out – I was thinking as I strolled along,  that I may not go on the afternoon hike, when I tripped on a root and fell forward. Luckily, the only thing that was seriously damaged was the lens hood on my big 500mm lens. That’s easily replaceable for about $40.. But I also twisted my bad knee a bit. That’s not easily replaceable but I was OK. I’m sure the trip lead had his radio out, ready to call for help, but I got up on my own. My pride was the only thing that really hurt. And a slight bit of blood. The ship doctor was getting used to seeing me, and I really did not want to bother her again.

    After my little accident, we wound up walking back up the coast trail to view a baby sloth – not the most exciting animal to photograph since most of the time, you just see a mass of fur and maybe a couple of legs. A few people actually saw one move up the tree, and had photographs of the sloth’s face, but most everyone thought it was a toy someone stuck up in the tree. 

    A sloth hanging upside down on a tree branch, nestled among green leaves.

    Eventually, we headed back to the beach – the heat and humidity were getting worse, so it was nice to get back to the ship. I decided at that point that I had enough photographs, and did not want to get wet and sweaty again. Or risk another fall. So I just settled in for the afternoon, packing, relaxing, drying off my very wet shoes and soggy clothing, and filtering through all the raw and jpeg images I had captured the last few days. This effort will keep me busy for a few days once I get home. 

    I think this was the night someone said there would be a “green burst” with the sunset. I’ve seen that before in Maui, where you get some green rays just as the sun goes under the horizon. A bunch of us went out on the bow observation deck to witness this – it was during happy hour, so I was probably the only person on deck that had not already downed a few margaritas or martinis. I’m sure most of them believe they saw some burst of color…but that probably had more to do from the alcohol than light refraction. But it was still a pretty sunset.

    Sunset over the ocean with vibrant colors in the sky and soft clouds.

    The last gathering on all the Nat Geo/Lindblad trips includes a slideshow of shared photos from the passengers – everyone gets to submit up to 5 photos, and the Nat Geo photographer selects the most interesting and cobbles together the show. It’s not a contest, but I usually get all five of mine selected. It’s a lot of fun – someone else contributed a shot of a bunch of passengers hanging over the railing – they were looking at dolphins at the time, but these images always look like they are having an adverse reaction to something they ate. I had that shot (see below) but had too many other photos I wanted to show. But I’m glad that I am not the only one with a warped sense of humor.

    A group of people leaning over the railing of a boat, looking out at the ocean, with a clear sky in the background.

    Peace (burp)