Thinking about trips for 2009, we
decided to focus on areas that we have been talking about for
some time but for one reason or another just never got around to
getting there - most likely because there are just too many options
from which to choose. Having closed out 2008 with our extended
trip to India
we needed to be a bit conservative with vacation time so we planned to
stay '"close to home" at least for the beginning of the year. Now
keep in mind that close to home for us doesn't mean a Staycation but
rather to stay somewhere in or near the United States and to stay away
from those 18 hour & 24 hour flights. Thus for the first half
of 2009 we came up with some options that filled all our requirements. One destination that continually was mentioned was the Oaxaca province of Mexico. So in mid-March we spent 10 days in Mexico exploring the complex of pyramids, terraces and crumbling temples of Monte Alban and the varied habitats that extend from Oaxaca to the Pacific coast just South of Acapulco.
We changed up
our
traditional long weekend trips throughout May, June and July – we made
it to Twin
Lakes Village in NH, but Paul was unable to make his annual trip to
Oceanedge on
Cape Cod and we decided we needed to pass on our Rangely Lakes
trip in ME
scheduled for the 4th of July weekend.
This year however, we added a new
twist with a long weekend trip to the DC
area & Delaware Coast to visit friends in October. In the
DC area we caught up with Jack and Becky, whom we had met on an African
Safari in Tanzania, and traveled to the Galapagos & the Amazon
River Basin with. Spent a few days catching up, checking out the
Great Falls Area in MD and enjoying the wonderful hospitality.
Strangely enough we also caught up
with our friend Forrest, our guide at Sacha Lodge in the Amazon &
recently helped us find our life Spotted Owl in Oregon. We caught up
with Forrest at Cape Henlopen as he is/was working as the prime Hawk
Watcher. Along with spending the day at Cape Henlopen we spent a
few days exploring Bombay Hook NWR, Prime Hook NWR, Assateague Island
National Seashore, Great Cypress Swamp & the Pickering Creek
Audubon Center - just a wonderful area to explore.
Northern Peru is an often overlooked destination of this diverse and spectacular country. This trip combined the opportunity to see some of the most fascinating birds and spectacularly varied scenary imaginable. OK so the roads in many places are a bit rough; with abrupt drop offs and construction delays an unwelcome reality. The choices on where to eat are sparse and maybe not always the most hygenic. But it is in these remote places that the wildlife and habitat can still be found and utlimately these are the locations that we choose to travel.
Upcoming on the
vacation slate for 2010
Home Oaxaca
Mexico 2009
Oregon 2009
Peru 2009