Karen Hechinger | FindPenguins

Africa 2023 Podróżnik
4. SA: Cape Town - Overview
10 maja 2023, Afryka Południowa ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
Cape Town is located at the southwestern tip of South Africa where the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans converge. It's known as the "Mother City", because it was the first European settlement in SA, but perhaps better known for its "apartheid era" lasting from 1948-1994, during which the white minority enforced segregation and inequality amongst racial groups that oppressed the indigenous people. This ended with the election of Nelson Mandela as president in 1994.

The city boasts a clean, bustling, cosmopolitan environment and is unexpectedly inexpensive. We strolled down to the waterfront after our hike to relax with a beer. ($9 for 2 pints, including tip) Czytaj więcej
Looking good! Hope you have smooth sailing for your trip! [Virginia]
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Africa 2023 Podróżnik
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3. SA: Cape Town - Table Mountain
10 maja 2023, Afryka Południowa ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F
The next day, to stretch our legs after our long flights, we elected to do one of the Table Moutain hikes. We chose the Platteklip Gorge Trail, which ascends 2100 ft over 1.6 miles, and is much like climbing large, rocky, uneven stairs for 2 hours. Great fun and just what our bodies needed.

Table Mountain is a 2 mile wide plateau offering beautiful views of the city and the South Atlantic. It can be accessed by cable car, which we opted into for a quick descent. Czytaj więcej
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PodróżnikWell done and yes to the reward!! 🍻
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Great pic! [Virginia]
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Podróżnik Big view!
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Africa 2023 Podróżnik
2. We Made It!
9 maja 2023, Afryka Południowa ⋅ 🌙 45 °F
We're here!

Having left the house in Reno at 3:45A on Monday, we arrived in Cape Town at 3:30P on Tuesday, chalking up around 25 hours of travel time. While not my first international flight, it was my first long-haul flight of 14 hours from Dulles to Cape Town, and I have to confess I was dreading it.

I had booked window seats for us, one in front of the other, and upon learning that Craig's row had an open middle seat while mine did not, I shamelessly guilted him into switching seats with me. Begging aside, I remain eternally grateful for his acquiescence.

Despite getting very little sleep on the plane, the flight was otherwise pleasant. The food was surprisingly good (for airplane food), the flight attendants attentive and accommodating, and the conversation engaging. My South African born seat mate, who was travelling home for a family visit, was currently making a living as a stewardess on a 14-person cruise yacht operating out of Ft. Lauderdale. You always meet interesting people on the plane, right? Czytaj więcej
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Africa 2023 Podróżnik
1. Africa 2023 - Itinerary and Prep
3 maja 2023, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 30 °F
It's happening.

The trip Craig and I have been talking about, investigating and planning since we got back from South America (early 2020) has become real. Delayed for a few years largely due to pandemic related restrictions, our overlanding trip to Africa, using 3 different tour companies, will last 2 1/2 months and take us through 12 countries from Capetown, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt.

Our first tour with overlanding travel company Acacia, leaves Capetown on March 18, and takes us through 10 countries in 8 weeks as shown on the attached itinerary map. This includes:

South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania (including the island of Zanzibar), Kenya, Uganda & Rwanda.

This tour's travel vehicle is an overlanding truck that can accommodate up to 24 people. Most travellers will be about 1/2 our age (or less), which is great because the roads are described as unpredictable, and we are all expected to "help" if the vehicle gets stuck. I'm not sure exactly what that means, (can 24 people push what I imagine to be a 10,000 pound truck out of a ditch?) but I'm at the gym 4-5 times a week trying to bulk up, just in case.

The tours are booked, the flights scheduled, travel insurance (including repatriation of our remains, as needed) purchased, and our trip is registered with the State Dept. We've obtained our vaccines, malarial medication, and visas.

By the way, our luggage is restricted to a 90 litre duffel bag (needs to fit in a locker on the truck), plus a "day-travel bag". Packing is going to be interesting. Hauling a 50 pound backpack from the truck to our accommodations each day will be equally interesting. Craig better start adding more weight to his weighted squats at the gym.

Our final 2 weeks has us on a flight to Addis Ababa for a tour of Ethiopia, followed by a flight to Cairo for a tour of Egypt including a cruise down the Nile.

5 days to go... Czytaj więcej
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PodróżnikWow!! So excited to follow your travels.
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
24. Jasper National Park
1 września 2022, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
At 4200 sq. miles, Jasper is the largest national park in Alberta's Rocky Mountains. With roadside views of massive peaks, glaciers, lakes, and just generally stunning landscapes, we enjoyed this part of the drive. Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
23. Continuing thru Yukon & BC
31 sierpnia 2022, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
Just a few more pix from the road.
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
22. Dawson City, Yukon
28 sierpnia 2022, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F
We overnighted in Tok AK, then took a slightly different route home than the one we took getting here, opting to check out Dawson City Yukon. Along the way we encountered some caribou who had wandered onto the highway. They thankfully escaped back into the woods before

Here's something we learned on our trip. Northern British Columbia and Yukon have no people in them. Dawson City, population 1400, is the 2nd largest town in Yukon. As we approached the town we were confused by our Google maps telling us we were 2 km and 20 minutes away. Until the road led us to the shoreline of the Yukon River, and we saw the town across the water. Fortunately the government provides a free ferry shuttle service back & forth, and we waited only about 10 minutes for our ride.

Like most towns in Yukon, northern BC, and eastern Alaska, Dawson City's only claim to fame lies with its ties to the Klondike gold rush in the late 1800s. A few pix attached... Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
21. The Horse is Headed to the Barn
27 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
We leave Coldfoot behind and look forward (not) to our 3550 mile journey home. Say hello to long days in the car. Our plan:

Day 1: Coldfoot to Tok - 10 hours
Day 2: Tok to Dawson City - 4.5 hours (short day - woot woot!)
Day 3: DC to Watson Lake - 11.5 hours (no woot woot today, more like boo-hoo)
Day 4: WL to Ft. Nelson - 6 hours
Day 5: FN to Grand Prairie - 6.5 hours
Day 6: GP to Radium Hot Springs - 8.5 hours
Day 7: An overdue day off from the car
Day 8: RHS to Spokane - 5 hours plus border crossing time
Day 9: Visiting with Craig's cousin Mike in Spokane
Day 10: Spokane to ? probably Boise - 7 hours
Day 11: Boise to Reno - 6.5 hours

If sitting is the new smoking, we've got one foot in the grave. Speaking of, this trip has yielded about 3 days of exercise (over 5 weeks). Can't wait to get back to the gym, but there WILL be tears during the first workout. Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
20. Coldfoot & the Dalton Highway II
27 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F
A few more pix...
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
19. Coldfoot & the Dalton Highway I
26 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 52 °F
We left Fairbanks for Coldfoot, which is halfway between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay (which is on the Arctic Ocean). Prudhoe Bay made its way into the headlines when oil was discovered in 1968. It is now a thriving commercial oil drilling site, transporting 1.8 million barrels of oil a day through the 800 mile Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) down to Valdez in south Alaska. We thought it was pretty cool. Deadhorse, the town on Prudhoe Bay that supports the oil workers, has average high/low temperatures in January of -7 degrees F, to -16 degrees F. Needless to say, there's pretty much no one but the oil workers up there.

The road from Fairbanks (actually just north of Fairbanks) to Prudhoe Bay is the reputed Dalton Highway, which travels alongside of the TAPS. Travel guides tell you that "Driving the Dalton Highway is a once in a lifetime adventure, but motorists should be prepared to be self-sufficient." Meaning, no gas stations, food or water, places to stay (other than Coldfoot) and certainly no cell service. You're in the middle of nowhere. The road is 25% paved, the rest dirt & gravel. Depending on recent weather and road maintenance, the paved road has frequent road heaves and potholes, while the dirt roads are washboardy, alternately dusty or muddy, and rife with the propensity to launch pebbles from oncoming vehicles into you car or windshield. Fun!

Our destination, Coldfoot Camp, is one of the few inhabited places in Coldfoot. I mentioned previously that Craig's friend from Skagway called it "the armpit of Alaska". Haha. He wasn't kidding. There is a main building where guests are checked in and buffet style food is served, as well as a helicopter landing pad. Across the muddy, pot-holed dirt lot is the lodging, which is a rusting, trailer/motel-like structure they laughably called "The Inn". Our room consisted of 2 single beds pushed up against the walls with about 18 inches of space in between. Our airline sized bathroom contained a shower whose dozen or so cracks were repaired with a fiber-based tape. Don't get me wrong - I'm not averse to cramped quarters or cheap furnishings; Craig and I have endured this with a smile many times before. What seriously irked me was the $250 it cost to crash there for one night. Sheesh! Most expensive and cheesiest accommodations of the trip.

All that aside, the drive up the Dalton proved unexpectedly enjoyable. Its colder up there, and Fall colors were already out. Check out the pix Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
18. Fairbanks
25 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
Fairbanks is the second largest city (by population) in Alaska. Since our phone provider Google-Fi, which was so useful & reliable in South America, decided to have almost no coverage in Alaska, we used our time here to get on-line and plan the remainder of our trip. We also checked out the UAF (University at Alaska, Fairbanks) Museum, and toodled around a local Bird Preserve.

Like Anchorage, I thought there would be more to say about Fairbanks. Tomorrow, its off to Coldfoot (or, the armpit of Alaska according to one resident). Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
17. The search for Moose
25 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
We've been itching to see a wild moose the whole trip. We see signs for moose everywhere, and have searched parks where there are frequent sightings. Our results attached here...
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
16. Denali National Park & Preserve
22 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
Denali National Park & Preserve is a 6 million acre park centered around Denali, the tallest peak in North America (formerly called Mount McKinley). They offered the option of a guided tour through the park or just a transit bus. We opted for the latter, and lucked out by getting Elton Parks (yes, that's his real name) assigned as our driver. Under no obligation to talk to us at all, he was friendly, funny chatty, knowledgeable and made our 5 hour drive quite enjoyable.

Our goal was to absorb the beautiful scenery, spot & observe wildlife, and see Denali peak. Once again, the weather was uncooperative, and Denali remained huddled in the clouds. While our quest for a moose sighting remains unfulfilled, we did see caribou & bears. Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
15. Kenai Peninsula - Seward
20 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 52 °F
Seward sits on the opposite side of the Kenai peninsula and like Homer, owes its claim to fame to its fishing industry. We grabbed a boat tour here, hoping to get an up close view of the glaciers and perhaps some whales. Unfortunately the weather was not our friend on this day, and the boat had to turn back without reaching our final destination. So, no glaciers or whales. Oh well. Boat tours are fun anyway. Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
14. Kenai Peninsula - Homer
18 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 52 °F
Homer is located at the southwest part of the Kenai peninsula, where the mouths of the Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay converge. It is known as the Halibut Fishing capital of the world, as well as "the end of the road". We enjoyed the eccentricities of the town as well as watching the ships come and go. Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
13. Anchorage
17 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
Anchorage is the most populous city in Alaska; 40% of the state's people live here. Kincaid Park, located on the west end of the city, is reputed for its bear and moose habitants. We drove through the park - we've had hopes of seeing wild moose sometime during this trip, but alas, no luck.

I feel like I should have more to say about Anchorage, but it ended up just being a stopping point on our way south. Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
12. Kennicott - McCarthy
16 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F
The Kennicott-McCarthy area is situated at the center of the Wrangell-St.Elias National Park, which, I just learned, is the biggest national park in the US. At 33,682 sq. km, it includes an active volcano, hundreds of glaciers and a host of wildlife including dall sheep, black & brown bears, trumpeter swans, along with fish such as sockeye, chinook & coho salmon.

The drive down there was pretty (no surprise). We checked out the abandoned Kennicott Mine, which is now a National Historic Landmark. This copper mine, which operated between 1901-1938, was famed as the first to use an ammonia-leaching technique to extract copper from the ore.

McCarthy is a small town, well, not really a town, but rather a "census-designated place" with 107 residents as of 2020. It survives on summer tourism and is located on the outskirts of Kennicott. Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
11. Glennallen & Valdez
15 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
Glennallen was a central location from which we could head south to check out Valdez and Kennicott before heading west to Anchorage. Our phones could not find a signal, so a kind woman at the Visitor Center made a few calls and found a local campground that had a small (very small) cabin available, which we grabbed. It was cozy, though we definitely raised our eyebrows when the desk clerk gave us tokens for the shared shower. One token = 7 minutes. Haha.

Upon securing our cabin, we headed south to check out the fishing village of Valdez, located on Prince William Sound. Valdez Harbor is the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which transports oil 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay in the north. The name Valdez didn't mean anything to me until you put the word Exxon before it. Yup. That was the ship that infamously struck a reef in 1989, spilling almost 11 million gallons of oil in the sound. Dang.

The town was pretty quiet. Lots of ships in the marina, but not much happening otherwise. Maybe its slow on Mondays. Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
10. Skagway to Tok
14 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F
TOK (pronounced Toke, not Tock) was just a stopping point for us on the way to Glennallen. Our drive has been filled with mountainous pine forests, lakes & streams.
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
9. Skagway - the "Movie Set" town
12 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
Skagway is the northernmost port of the Alaska Cruise ship lines' standard "inner passage" route. The town hosts 2-4 cruise ships per day, with over a million tourists descending on the town each season.

Craig calls Skagway the movie set town, because during the off-season there is no one around; the stores shut down and everyone leaves. Each Spring the shops and restaurants re-open; the cobwebs are dusted off; employees are hired & trained; product and food are flown in and image of a thriving, bustling town is recreated again.

Skagway's historical significance lies in it's role as a launching point for prospective gold miners heading up the infamous 33 mile Chilkoot Trail in search of Yukon Gold in the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush. Within 3 months of the start of the gold rush, Skagway was transformed from a small quiet town to one filled with "raucous hotels, saloons, gambling houses & dance halls". Once gold was discovered in Nome & Fairbanks Alaska a few years later, the gold-seekers followed, and Skagway's inflated population of 20,000 dwindled to 700.

Craig has friends in Skagway who own the Historic Skagway Inn, as well as a popular jewelry store Lynch & Kennedy. We stayed at their Inn and enjoyed their delightful company. Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
8. The Final Push to Alaska
12 sierpnia 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
Aside from US Customs stealing our bag of grapefruits, the border crossing was a non-event and the final 2 hour drive to Skagway was perfect. If this scenery is a harbinger of what's to come, we're in for some amazing sights... Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
7. Vancouver BC to Whitehorse, Yukon
11 sierpnia 2022, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F
The drive from Vancouver, British Columbia to Whitehorse, Yukon (just 2 hours outside of Alaska) covered 1,496 miles and took 4 days.

We encountered huge expanses of unpopulated wilderness that was dotted with occasional and infrequent small towns that often had one run-down, dilapidated, (yet fully booked, no-vacancy) motel, or no accommodations at all. The lack of lodging options forced us to modify our original plan to include a few days of 10-11 hours in the car.

We stopped on the way out of Vancouver at Whistler/Blackcomb Mountain to check it out. We've skied several mountains in Canada but not this one, so we wanted to take a peek.

The first day of this part of our journey was beautiful. The remainder of the long drive thereafter was honestly a bit tedious. Not just because of the distance, we've done that before, but mostly due to the topography. While our route was filled with lakes and rivers, our view of anything other than the road before us was usually obstructed by thick dense forest, the edge of which came right up to the highway. Kudos to Craig for "captaining" our voyage and remaining steady and focused behind the wheel.

We stretched our legs a bit in Whitehorse which is the capital of Yukon, taking in a stroll along the Yukon River and a visit to McBride Museum before heading to Skagway Alaska on Friday. Czytaj więcej
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6. Granville Island Vancouver
7 sierpnia 2022, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
We spent Sunday checking out Granville Island & Stanley Park in Vancouver.

Stanley Park is a 1,000 acre park in the midst of urban Vancouver. OK, it was nice (and big!), but this New Yorker will take Central Park over Stanley Park any day.

Granville Island is a popular tourist destination which boasts a large public market featuring upscale clothing shop, eateries, artwork, trinkets, and a smattering of performing artists throughout the island. Lovely apartments, condos & homes overlook the marina, the boats of which share the waters with kayakers & paddleboarders. On the north end of the island, small ferries come and go, shuttling people to various spots along the False Creek waterway. It was a vibrant, lively scene! Czytaj więcej
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Podróżnik Lol
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
5. Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island
6 sierpnia 2022, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
Once on the island, we took a one hour public bus ride through the south part of the island to Butchart Gardens. The Gardens were created by Jennie Butchart 118 years ago and are considered internationally renowned. The 55-acre display was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2004, for its one hundredth birthday. Fun way to spend a warm sunny afternoon. Czytaj więcej
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Alaska Summer 2022 Podróżnik
4. Vancouver Island / Victoria
6 sierpnia 2022, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F
On Saturday we spent the first of 2 days in Vancouver on Vancouver Island. The 1.5 hour ferry ride between Tsawassen on the mainland and Schwartz Bay on the island was quite pleasant. The ferry was huge, accommodating both cars and foot passengers, and offered spacious comfortable seating, a restaurant, TVs, a kids' play area, easy deck access, and charming seaside town views. Czytaj więcej
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3. Oregon to Canada
5 sierpnia 2022, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
We decided to hug the Washington coastline as we headed up to Canada, enjoying the many inlets, bridges, seaside communities and ocean views along the way. Here are a few pix...
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